Our house is significantly clutter-free. Every few months, my family looks around to see what we do not need or use any longer. We categorize these items into three groups: donations for charities, the Reuse Centre or an Eco Station.
Before making a decision on an item, we ask “can it be repaired, reused or recycled?” Phones, computers, CDs, light bulbs and cables are tricky items to know what to do with. Does this sound familiar? Do you feel the same way?
E-waste can be very harmful to the environment. It contaminates soil and groundwater supply and exposes us to hazardous chemicals. Technology is beyond an average consumer’s grasp to repair. Moreover, it is often cheaper to buy a new product than to repair a broken one.
While repair is complicated, there are still options to reuse these items. Here are a few ways to reuse that I think are worth sharing.
Let me start with old cell phones that you no longer want to use:
- Use your old cell phone as an alarm clock or convert it into your offline GPS for the car.
- Turn it into a security camera and set it up as a doorbell with a camera. There are apps available to do such a setup.
- Use it as an emergency phone and keep it in a place where you might need to call an emergency line, say in your kitchen or bathroom.
- Give your old phone to children as a wifi-only device.
An old smartphone from 2013 running on the custom lightweight operating system.
Photo: Sunanda
Compact discs are another common unwanted/unused item in many households. Instead of throwing these away, you can reuse these for household décor items like lampshades, photo frames or a pen stand.
You can make similar décor items with old video or audio cassettes and floppy discs.
Photo: City of Edmonton Reuse Centre
Earlier this year, I went on a trip and forgot to pack my phone charger. I could avoid this problem if I had a backup charger packed in my travel bag. If you have a new phone or laptop charger, consider using the old chargers as backup chargers. Check to ensure that they are compatible with your new device. You can use backup chargers in your car, or in different rooms in the house.
Here are a few more ideas for reuse:
- Reuse old and slow laptops with lighter Linux operating systems.
- Use an old desktop hard disk for additional storage or network storage to share files within your home.
- Repurpose circuit boards into jewelry
If you have electronic cables that you do not use any longer, you can donate them to the Reuse Centre (computer, phone and TV only). Or, you can drop these off at any City of Edmonton Eco Station. Some retail stores also accept cables, batteries and chargers.
So next time, before you discard your electronics, give reuse a chance.
- Submission by Sunanda (Volunteer)