Editing Consumer electronics (section)

===Electronic waste===
[[File:ewaste-pile.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Electronic waste]]: discarded electronic equipment]]

A high number of different metals and low concentration rates in electronics means that recycling is limited and energy intensive.<ref name=":1" /> [[Electronic waste]] describes discarded electrical or electronic devices. Many consumer electronics may contain toxic minerals and elements,<ref name="Normal is recycling">{{cite web | url=http://www.videtteonline.com/index.php/2014/09/08/normal-is-recycling-your-out-of-date-electronics/ | title=Normal is recycling out-of-date electronics | work=Vidette Online | publisher=[[Illinois State University]] | date=8 September 2014 | access-date=9 September 2014 | author=Moreno, Julia | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140910200002/http://www.videtteonline.com/index.php/2014/09/08/normal-is-recycling-your-out-of-date-electronics/ | archive-date=10 September 2014 | url-status=live | df=dmy-all }}</ref> and many electronic scrap components, such as [[Cathode-ray tube|CRTs]], may contain contaminants such as [[lead]], [[cadmium]], [[beryllium]], [[mercury (element)|mercury]], [[Dioxins and dioxin-like compounds|dioxins]], or [[brominated flame retardant]]s. [[Electronic waste recycling]] may involve significant risk to workers and communities and great care must be taken to avoid unsafe exposure in recycling operations and leaking of materials such as heavy metals from [[landfill]]s and [[incineration|incinerator]] ashes. However, large amounts of the produced electronic waste from developed countries is exported, and handled by the [[informal sector]] in countries like India, despite the fact that exporting electronic waste to them is illegal. Strong informal sector can be a problem for the safe and clean recycling.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://content.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2071920,00.html |title=Is India's E-Waste Problem Spiraling Out of Control? |last1=Bhowmick |first1=Nilanjana |date=23 May 2011 |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |access-date=14 September 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141008145727/http://content.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2071920,00.html |archive-date=8 October 2014 |url-status=live |df=dmy-all }}</ref>

====Reuse and repair====

E-waste policy has gone through various incarnations since the 1970s, with emphasis changing as the decades passed. More weight was gradually placed on the need to dispose of e-waste more carefully due to the toxic materials it may contain. There has also been recognition that various valuable metals and plastics from waste electrical equipment can be recycled for other uses. More recently, the desirability of reusing whole appliances has been foregrounded in the 'preparation for reuse' guidelines. The policy focus is slowly moving towards a potential shift in attitudes to reuse and repair.

With turnover of small household appliances high and costs relatively low, many consumers will throw unwanted electrical goods in the normal dustbin, meaning that items of potentially high reuse or recycling value go to landfills. While more oversized items such as washing machines are usually collected, it has been estimated that the 160,000 tonnes of EEE{{expand acronym|date=May 2025|Electrical and electronic equipment}} in regular waste collections were worth £220{{spaces}}million. 23% of EEE taken to Household Waste Recycling Centres was immediately resalable – or would be with minor repairs or refurbishment. This indicates a lack of awareness among consumers about where and how to dispose of EEE and the potential value of things that are going in the bin.

For the reuse and repair of electrical goods to increase substantially in the UK, some barriers must be overcome. These include people's mistrust of used equipment in terms of whether it will be functional, safe and the stigma for some of owning second-hand goods. But the benefits of reuse could allow lower-income households access to previously unaffordable technology while helping the environment at the same time.<ref>Cole, C., Cooper, T. and Gnanapragasam, A., 2016. Extending product lifetimes through WEEE reuse and repair: opportunities and challenges in the UK. In: Electronics Goes Green 2016+ Conference, Berlin, Germany, 7–9 September 2016</ref>