5 Actions Against E-Waste
We've only got one Earth. To safeguard the future of our city for generations to come, we need to take action to protect our planet.
As a Digital Strategy team, we work on initiatives that promote sustainability and resilience in our city, to tackle and mitigate the effects of climate of change. That’s why we’re sharing some of our top tips for reducing our carbon emissions digitally.
Most of us already know about the benefits of recycling our food packaging or choosing a reusable bottle over single-use plastics. But what on Earth (pun very much intended 😉) do forgotten emails have to do with carbon emissions?
Our use of digital technologies has a huge impact on the environment. The carbon cost of digital is a staggering 3.7% of total global emissions, on a par with the entire airline industry! While larger tech companies must shoulder the most responsibility for the impact of our gadgets, the internet, and its systems on the environment, there are actions we can all take to reduce our personal carbon footprint.
The smallest stone still creates ripples, and the tiny adaptions we make to our everyday routines can add up to significant reductions in our collective environmental impact.
Here are five actions you can take to make a difference:
How unwieldy is your e-mail hoard?
While some e-mails are essential to keep around, the bigger the collection, the more data storage is used to maintain it. As storing data creates emissions, large hoards can have a negative impact on the environment.
Stop the hoarding for good – and avoid being the office Smaug - by regularly deleting emails once they’ve been read!
We understand: nobody wants to see a low battery sign flashing on their way out of the office.
Although it’s always reassuring to see a full bar at the top of your screen, letting your charge deplete when possible can help prevent unnecessary use of power. In fact, running down your battery to under 10% can help your device last longer and perform better, reducing the need to replace it prematurely. Just make sure you have that charging cable on hand for emergencies!
Could there be another lease of life in your laptop? The UK has the unfortunate distinction of being one of the largest producers of e-waste in the world, generating over 1.6 million tonnes every year. Currently, only 20% of that is recycled through responsible channels.
That means most electronic devices end up in landfill, allowing harmful substances to leach into the environment. Valuable non-renewable resources such as silver, gold, and platinum also risk being lost forever. Organisations such as Community Computers are doing incredible things with old tech in the local community, refurbishing ex-business devices to deliver to people at risk of digital exclusion. Where a device has reached the end of its life, local drop off points or online services can responsibly dispose of your electricals, with up to 75% of materials able to be recycled. Check out the Recycle Your Electricals campaign by Material Focus to explore different ways to dispose of your electronic devices in ways that are good for the planet and your pocket!
Most electronics are manufactured using rare earth materials, a finite resource that must be mined from the earth.
While this doesn’t mean holding on to your Nokia flip phone from 2011, delaying how often you upgrade your tech could help conserve valuable resources by reducing the demand for new devices.
Stop saying thank you.
(Okay - not entirely!)
Everyone enjoys feeling appreciated. And while we’ll always be huge advocates for letting colleagues know when they’ve made a difference, we're also conscious that sending, storing, and receiving e-mails all create emissions. Try to save e-mails for the things that really matter and keep that thank you on hold for chat app messages, or the next time you see them face to face.
By working together to take action against climate change, we can achieve our vision of becoming a zero-carbon city by 2038.
If you’d like to find out more about our work to build a stronger, greener and more sustainable future for Manchester, head over to our projects page to find out more about our digital sustainability initiatives we hope to bring to life this year!
