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Computer recycling is the recycling or reuse of computers. Electronic recycling is the recycling or reuse of electronic devices. Electronic waste, e-waste, e-scrap, or waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) describes discarded electrical or electronic devices. Informal processing of electronic waste in developing countries may cause serious health and pollution problems, though these countries are also most likely to reuse and repair electronics. Some electronic scrap components, such as CRTs, may contain contaminants such as lead, cadmium, beryllium, or brominates flame retardants. Even in developed countries electronic recycling may involve significant risk to workers and communities. Great care must be taken to avoid unsafe exposure in recycling operations and leaching of material such as heavy metals from landfills and incinerator ashes. Scrap industry officials agree that materials should be managed with caution. "Electronic waste" may be defined as discarded computers, office electronic equipment, entertainment device electronics, mobile phones, television sets and hi-fi equipment. This definition includes used electronics which are destined for reuse, resale, salvage, recycling, or disposal. Today computer recycling and electronic recycling business share in most areas of the developed world as a large and rapidly consolidating business. The environmental and social benefits of recycling include diminished demand for new products and virgin raw materials; larger quantities of pure water and electricity for associated manufacturing; less packaging per unit; availability of technology to wider demographics of society due to greater affordability of products; and diminished use of landfills. Audiovisual components, televisions, VCRs, stereo equipment, mobile phones, other handheld devices, and computer components contain valuable elements and substances suitable for reclamation, including lead, copper and gold Challenges in Computer and Electronic Recycling. One of the major challenges in computer and electronic recycling is recycling the printed circuit boards from the electronic wastes. The circuit boards contain precious metals such as gold, silver, platinum, etc. and base metals such as copper, iron, aluminium, etc. The conventional method employed is mechanical shredding and separation but the recycling efficiency is low. An alternative method such as cryogenic decomposition has been studied for printed circuit board recycling, and some other methods are still under investigation. In developed countries, electronic recycling usually first involves dismantling the equipment into various parts such as metal frames, power supplies, circuit boards, plastics etc, often by hand, but increasingly by automated shredding equipment. The advantages of this process are the human's ability to recognize and save working and repairable parts, including chips, transistors, RAM, etc. The disadvantage is that the labor is cheapest in countries with the lowest health and safety standards. Author Bio: Enter Planet Green Recycling famous for a complete electronic waste recycling service like Computer Recycling and Printer Recycling of Australia that can recycle and re-use CRT.
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