School systems have evolved over time, with technology having a strong presence in the classroom across most school districts throughout Canada and beyond. From smart boards to computers, there are many devices that enhance learning in important ways. Yet, they also present unique e-waste challenges.

Proper electronics recycling is important for minimizing your district’s carbon footprint and protecting its sensitive data. Here’s what school district officials should know about the process.

Benefits of Reducing E-Waste in Education

The benefits of reducing e-waste in schools span far and wide. First and foremost, recycling your school district’s end-of-life electronic assets prevents them from entering landfills, where harmful components could leach into local ecosystems and present serious environmental risks. When e-waste recycling is handled by a certified party, all end-of-life materials are dismantled and processed following environmentally sound practices. Wherever possible, devices may also be refurbished to extend their lifespan. In some cases, this could even lead to economic returns — a win for school districts, which tend to have tight budgets.

Another important reason why proper electronics recycling is critical for schools is to safeguard your data. The information on administrators’ hard drives and other devices may contain details about students or teachers, along with other sensitive data that should never wind up in the wrong hands. Partnering with an e-waste recycling company that also specializes in IT asset destruction (ITAD) is the best way to ensure your school district’s data is completely eradicated, whether that’s through industry-leading data erasure techniques or physical hard drive destruction.

A final but no less compelling reason to consider electronics recycling in the school setting is to lead by example for the next generation. Spreading the word about how your district participates in environmentally friendly electronics recycling can help to reinforce its importance to students, creating a strong foundation for sustainable practices at a young age.

Responsible electronics recycling in schools: Where to begin

While the benefits of electronics recycling for schools are clear, understanding where to start is often less so. Here are some tips for facilitating a smooth electronics recycling program throughout your district.

Partner with a responsible e-waste recycler for schools.

An important foundational step for schools is to find the right e-waste recycler to manage end-of-life electronics properly. Turn to a trusted company with the right credentials that ensure they’re not only following environmentally sound e-waste recycling practices, but that they can guarantee the security of any sensitive school data. The right e-waste recycling company — like Quantum — will ensure a compliant and scalable process is implemented to securely dispose of hard drives and other devices with sensitive information.

Establish e-waste management protocols and staff.

Typically, school districts will have an ongoing contract with an e-waste recycler that lays out all the details of when and how end-of-life electronics will be managed. Once this has been established, it’s time to train educators and other staff on protocols for e-waste in the school environment. Establish processes for handling any end-of-life technology assets, such as dropping devices off at designated locations. Hold workshops or other training events so all staff members are familiar with the steps.

Invite students and community members to get involved.

While students don’t necessarily need to play an active role in e-waste management in schools, getting them involved in the process could help to lay the foundation for a lifetime of proper electronics recycling. Some communities have found creative ways to get students involved with e-waste recycling in their schools, including sixth and seventh graders at Montgomery School in Saskatoon who have been taught how to dismantle electronics to sort their components in a partnership with Saskatchewan Environmental Society. Consider setting up e-waste donation bins, hosting presentations, and using other resources or events to communicate the importance of e-waste recycling to students.

If you’re seeking a trusted partner to process your school district’s electronics responsibly while maintaining its data security, turn to Quantum. We adhere to the most stringent electronics recycling standards to help minimize your schools’ environmental impact, while also maintaining NAID AAA certification for data destruction to ensure any sensitive information is handled with the utmost care. Find out more about how we work with school boards here.

Within recent decades, electronic waste (“e-waste”) has become a growing concern across the globe. E-waste is projected to increase by 30% by 2030, with the potential for it to double by 2050 in a business-as-usual scenario. Both regulatory changes and ESG initiatives pursued by corporations are driving change to stop these realities from taking hold. Yet, to prevent disastrous implications, the e-waste challenge must be viewed as an immediate emergency and not a far-off possibility. Fortunately, there are several innovations in e-waste and recycling technology that could fuel positive change — here are a few of the most promising possibilities.

E-waste innovations & recycling technologies that are driving sustainability

Minimizing the impact of e-waste in landfills with dissolvable batteries

Batteries are among the most challenging electronics to dispose of responsibly. When left in landfills, they present serious risks including thermal runaway. In this phenomenon, batteries overheat and become unstable, potentially leading to explosions. To address environmental concerns around batteries, researchers at Iowa State University have been investigating a technology that could allow lithium ion batteries to dissolve within water in minutes. This quicker, more controlled process could make e-waste recycling safer both for people and the environment.

Implementing AI in the e-waste stream for efficient processing

Recently, researchers have also been working to develop and deploy software that would enable AI-powered robots to identify different types of smartphones as they’re processed through the waste stream. Ideally, the robots would also be able to remove components such as batteries and valuable parts for recycling. This would ultimately address the tedious and time-consuming aspects of smartphone recycling that make it so challenging, potentially allowing more phone components to be recycled successfully and preventing dangerous materials like rare earth metals from entering ecosystems.

Leveraging chemistry to aid in e-waste recycling

Chemists are also keeping pace with evolving technology in the rush to find more sustainable e-waste recycling solutions, including the exploration of natural approaches to e-waste processing. In Austria, researchers are experimenting with using bacteria and algae to separate rare earth metals from electronics via a unique biorecycling method. Likewise, a clean tech firm in New Zealand is grinding scrap metal from e-waste into a sand-like consistency, then using a biorefining process with microbes to extract gold which can then be repurposed. Experts have also been investigating the thermochemical process of pyrolysis to recover metals and polymers from e-waste. Further research will be needed to determine if the emissions produced during this process will pose an environmental risk and thus outweigh any benefits.

Clearly, e-waste is a complex problem that demands creative solutions. Quantum is committed to staying at the forefront of e-waste research and implementing feasible solutions as they emerge. Find out more about how we facilitate sustainability and can help reduce your carbon impact here.