Tue, Mar 31, 2026 page11

• Don’t let your gadgets gather dust: The hidden value of e-waste recycling 別讓舊3C躺抽屜：電子廢棄物回收的價值

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  Many consumers are guilty of filling drawers or closets with old laptops, cellphones, fitness trackers and other electronic devices once they are no longer needed. It’s hard to know where to recycle such items, or it seems costly and inconvenient to do so.

  The world generates millions of tons of electronic waste — also called e-waste — each year. According to the UN’s most recent estimate, people worldwide produced 62 million metric tons of e-waste in 2022, and only about 22 percent of it was properly recycled. The US’ Environmental Protection Agency estimates that less than a quarter of e-waste is recycled in the US each year.

  Keeping e-waste out of landfills is important because the devices contain materials that can harm the environment. Electronics can also contain precious metals and rare earths that are hard to source, making recycling valuable to businesses.

  

  E-waste by Erren River, which flows through Tainan and Kaohsiung, on Feb. 16, 2023. The river has suffered from over-pollution, although the situation has improved. 二仁溪畔的電子垃圾，攝於2023年2月16日。二仁溪流經台南和高雄，曾飽受污染，但情況已有所改善。

  Photo courtesy of Chao Rui-guang 照片：晁瑞光提供

  Experts say that if more consumers recycle their e-waste, it could even drive down the cost of some electronics.

  Why recycling e-waste is challenging — but important

  While all recycling comes with challenges, it is often more confusing to recycle e-waste than a plastic bottle or cardboard box. Common containers can be recycled curbside or in public bins, but it often takes some research to figure out where to take an electronic device.

  

  A man recycles electronic waste, or e-waste, from computer power supplies at a scrap yard in Ahmedabad, India, April 9 last year. 印度艾哈邁達巴德一個廢棄物回收站，一名男子正回收電腦電源供應器等電子垃圾。攝於去年4月9日。

  Photo: Reuters 照片：路透

  Electronics can range from a small earbud to a large refrigerator, each with different materials inside, says Rick Neitzel, an environmental health sciences professor at the University of Michigan. Recyclers need to be able to extract each component and material efficiently. That is a complex, energy-intensive and expensive process.

  But the efforts are worth it. Components such as steel, aluminum, copper, gold, silver, plastics and even glass, can be recovered and reused, said John Shegerian, founder of Electronic Recyclers International.

  Keeping harmful materials out of landfills is another incentive.

  

  Rosalie Sedantes, whose husband Dexter Barsigan had developed health issues after years of dismantling scavenged electronic waste, strips parts from discarded electronic equipment in Manila on June 26 last year. 羅莎莉．塞丹特斯正從廢棄電子設備中拆卸零件，去年6月26日攝於菲律賓馬尼拉。她丈夫德克斯特．巴爾西根從事拆解廢棄電子垃圾多年，導致健康狀況惡化。

  Photo: AFP 照片：法新社

  “These electronics — which could and have historically ended up in our landfills or in other inappropriate places — can leak all the stuff that’s contained there within: Mercury, lead, cadmium, beryllium, arsenic. All these things are horrible if they get into our environmental ecosystem,” Shegerian said.

  Experts say recovering precious metals from devices also helps the environment by lowering the need to mine more of those resources.

  Preparing your device for recycling

  Some consumers may be hesitant to recycle devices because of the personal data stored on them. Experts say that in order to protect your data, start with a factory reset — not just deleting files.

  Resets restore the device to its original settings and thoroughly remove data. It’s important to follow the manufacturer’s guidance, as each device has different steps. Wiping an Android phone, for example, requires different steps than wiping an iPhone. The Cyber Security and Infrastructure Agency provides guidance on data protection, including where to look for manufacturer instructions.

  Even factory resets may leave traces of data, so some recyclers will go as far as shredding a device’s hard drive — and verify it’s been destroyed. What’s left goes through the recycling process.

  Some devices can be refurbished and reused.

  For devices at the end of their life

  Even if a device can’t be refurbished, manufacturers are still a good first place to check, experts say.

  “The manufacturers are where we want this stuff to end up because they know their products, they know best and most efficiently how to recycle them,” Neitzel said.

  Retailers such as Best Buy and Staples accept devices big and small for recycling. Best Buy will also haul away televisions and larger appliances for a fee when new models are purchased, then work with electronics recyclers.

  While local governments typically don’t accept electronics in curbside recycling, many have drop-off locations that can be researched on their Web sites.

  And even when a device can’t be refurbished, recycling is important for the domestic supply chain of minerals and rare earths, said Terence Musho, an associate professor of engineering at West Virginia University.

  He said improving the mineral recovery process and boosting recycling rates can also help consumers in another way: “It can also potentially bring down the price of your future electronics.”

  (AP)

  許多消費者都有這樣的習慣：當舊筆電、手機、健身手環等電子產品不再使用後，就隨手丟到抽屜或衣櫃裡。原因往往是難以判斷該送往何處回收，或覺得處理過程既麻煩又花錢。

  全球每年產生數以百萬噸計的電子廢棄物（e-waste）。根據聯合國最新估計，2022年全球共產生約6200萬公噸的電子廢棄物，但其中僅約22%被妥善回收。美國環境保護署（EPA）則估計，美國每年電子廢棄物的回收率不到四分之一。

  避免電子廢棄物流入掩埋場相當重要，因為這些裝置內含有可能危害環境的物質。同時，電子產品中也可能含有珍貴金屬與稀土元素，這些資源取得不易，使得回收對企業具有高度價值。

  專家指出，若更多消費者願意回收電子廢棄物，甚至可能有助於降低部分電子產品的成本。以下是一些建議。

  為何電子廢棄物回收困難，卻又重要?

  雖然所有類型的回收都有其困難，但電子廢棄物的回收往往比塑膠瓶或紙箱更複雜。一般容器可透過路邊回收或公共回收桶處理，但電子產品通常需要特別查詢，才能知道該送到哪裡。

  電子產品種類繁多，小到耳機，大到大型冰箱，內部材料各不相同，密西根大學環境健康科學教授里克．奈策爾表示。回收業者必須有效拆解並分離各種零組件與材料，這是一項複雜、耗能且成本高昂的過程。

  但努力仍是值得的。電子產品中的鋼鐵、鋁、銅、金、銀、塑膠甚至玻璃等材料，都能回收再利用。美國最大電子垃圾回收商電子回收國際（Electronic Recyclers International）創辦人約翰．謝格里安表示，這些資源具有高度再利用價值。

  回收的另一個重要原因，是避免有害物質進入環境。

  謝格里安指出：「這些電子產品——過去常被丟進掩埋場或不當處理——其中含有的物質可能外洩，例如汞、鉛、鎘、鈹與砷。一旦進入環境生態系，後果將非常嚴重」。

  專家也表示，從電子產品中回收貴金屬，有助於減少對新礦產開採的需求，進而降低對環境的衝擊。

  裝置回收前的準備步驟

  部分消費者對回收電子產品仍有所顧慮，主要原因是裝置中存有個人資料。專家建議，為了保護隱私，應先進行恢復原廠設定，而不只是刪除檔案。

  恢復原廠設定可將裝置還原至初始狀態，並徹底清除資料。由於不同設備操作方式不同，應依照製造商提供的指引進行。例如，Android手機與iPhone的清除步驟並不相同。美國網路安全暨基礎設施安全局（CISA）也提供相關資料保護指南，包括如何查找製造商說明。

  即使恢復了原廠設定，仍可能殘留部分資料，因此部分回收業者會進一步將硬碟粉碎，並確認資料已完全銷毀，其餘部分再進入回收流程。

  有些裝置則可經過整修後重新使用。

  不堪用之設備該如何處理?

  即使裝置無法整修再利用，專家仍建議優先洽詢製造商。

  奈策爾表示：「我們希望這些產品回到製造商手中，因為他們最了解自己的產品，也最能有效率地進行回收」。

  像是百思買（Best Buy）、史泰伯（Staples）等零售商，也接受各類大小電子產品回收。消費者在百思買購買新產品時，甚至可付費請百思買協助搬走舊電視或大型家電，並交由專業回收業者處理。

  地方政府通常不會經由一般路邊回收的方式回收電子產品，但多會設置回收據點，民眾可透過官方網站查詢。

  地方政府通常不會在一般路邊回收中收取電子產品，但多數會設置回收據點，民眾可透過官方網站查詢。

  西維吉尼亞大學工程副教授泰倫斯．穆修指出，即使設備無法再利用，回收仍對國內礦產與稀土供應鏈具有重要意義。

  他表示，若能提升礦物回收技術並提高回收率，也可能為消費者帶來另一項好處：「未來電子產品的價格，或許也有機會因此下降」。

  （台北時報林俐凱編譯）
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