The right gesture: how do you know where to throw your electrical and electronic waste?

This October 14, 2024 marks the seventh international day for Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment. The “D3E” as they are affectionately called represent an increasingly significant share of discarded objects. Too often, moreover,They are thrown without further ado into the trash of everyone like old potato peelings.

However, these devices, like our glass bottles or our cardboard packaging, must be sorted! In fact, they often contain recyclable materials and need to be decontaminated before being treated. And if there are no waste disposal bins at the foot of buildings yet, it is not difficult to find suitable collection points throughout the territory.

In the large D3E category, smartphones have a special place. Due to their number and frequency of renewal, specific collection circuits have been set up. To use your smartphone safely, you can:

• Go to jedonnemontelephone.fr to print a pre-paid label or order a pre-paid envelope. Once the phone is slipped in, all you have to do is drop everything in a La Poste mailbox. It's simple and free.
• Drop it off in physical stores. As provided by lawif you buy a new phone, the seller must take your old mobile back from you free of charge. In stores of more than 400 m², a dumpster must be made available to store your devices. No obligation to purchase in the latter case.
• Donate them if they still work. Structures like Emmaüs Connect regularly organize collections to recover old computer equipment in order to refurbish it and offer it to those most in need. You can also send it for reconditioning if you want to get a handful of euros out of it. This also applies to phones, as well as tablets, computers or game consoles.

If your vacuum cleaner or washing machine breaks down, it is less easy to slip them into an envelope to send them to the sorting center. Fortunately, solutions exist here too.

• Free return on purchase. As with smartphones, the law requires resellers to recover old products in the event of a new purchase. This exchange can be done in store, or during delivery of the new product. In the latter case, stores will usually ask you at the time of purchase whether an old device needs to be collected. Remember to indicate this.
• Collection points in stores. If your device is less than 25 cm, you can drop it off in the dumpsters mentioned above. They are usually available in department stores selling electronics. This also applies to used bulbs, ink cartridges or batteries.
• Solidarity collection points. In many places in France, the eco-organization Ecosystem provides “solidarity collection points” which allow you to donate your old devices so that they can be reused or recycled by economic specialists. social and supportive.
• Dispose of it in recycling center. If none of the above solutions suits you, there is always the recycling center solution. By going to the Ecosystem websiteyou will be able to locate the recycling centers near you. Remember to throw it in the right bin. Displays, batteries and other electronic devices do not usually mix.

I still don't know what to do with my old device.

If your case is not covered by the collection circuits mentioned so far, the simplest is in this case to connect to the Ecosystem website. A search engine will allow you to find the most appropriate donation and recycling solutions depending on your device and location.

If you feel like it, you can also try repairing your device yourself to give it a second life. Whether a smartphone Or a dishwasherthere are tons of resources online to learn how to put your devices back together. As virtuous as recycling can berepair is always preferable from an ecological point of view.

In any case, please don't throw your old mixer in the brown trash anymore.