Following our article highlighting the problem of Electronic Waste (see Digital Detritus: The Growing Problem of Electronic Waste) we present 7 suggestion we can all take on to reduce this serious problem.
| 1 | Encourage vendors and manufacturers of your favorite electronics products to participate in a take-back and recycling program. |
| 2 | Parallel to this is to frequent those stores that participate in electronic product recycling programs and purchase those products from manufacturers that develop “green electronics” products. |
| 3 | Upgrade rather than replace when possible—you will use less and extend the life of your products. |
| 4 | Donate old electronics to a charitable organization. In fact, encourage your place of employment to be an active participant in such efforts. Also, you can have any organization to which you belong do an “E-Waste Collection Mitzvah Campaign.” |
| 5 | See what your local municipal government is doing to reduce the e-waste stream. |
| 6 | Check the path taken of discarded/recycled products—do they really get recycled and if so, are the workers who do the recycling adequately protected from these toxic chemicals? |
| 7 | And last, but not least, before buying, ask yourself, “Is my old version still useful?” and “Do I really need this item?” |