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Most of us have a smartphone, laptop or tablet of some description. Modern life makes is almost impossible to get buy without at least one of these gadgets. And while they undoubtedly enable us to communicate more freely, get access to information, give us certain freedoms and facilitate us keeping in touch with loved ones, our reliance on new technology is not without its environmental impact.

Dealing with old electronics in a responsible way is one of the ways many people could do better with their zero waste lifestyle. In fact, so many of us don’t know what to do with our old tech, that millions of unused items are shoved in drawers and cupboards up and down the country.

But it’s not all bad. While you may struggle to stay completely zero waste all the time, just making the smallest changes can lead to a big impact. Let’s take a look at some of the ways we can make our use of new technology work for us and the environment:

Use Email Instead Of Writing Letters

Don’t get me wrong. There is something lovely about hand written letters.  I still have a few from my long-deceased Grandma that mean a lot to me. However for day-to-day communication, email is faster and has a lower carbon footprint.

Although paper is recyclable, your aim of using email isn’t only to reduce paper usage. Mail delivery services need to use vans and sometimes planes to deliver their letters. By cutting down on the number of letters that you send, you are decreasing the number of mail delivery vehicles that are on the roads. As such, there are less carbon emissions. And with current fuel prices, sending email is cheaper too.

Save letter writing for special occasions or important business and use email or text for day-to-day communication.

Keep Your Phone Running

The smartphone has been a revolutionary introduction to society. Almost everyone always has one of these devices on them to communicate and keep themselves entertained. Unfortunately, this tech isn’t designed to last forever.

A standard smartphone has an average lifespan of around five years.; providing you don’t drop it on the floor or down the toilet – yep I’m talking from experience. There are even rumours that the developers design their devices to become defunct after a certain amount of time so that you are forced to upgrade to the next, more expensive model. However, a simple accident isn’t always a reason to get rid of your old phone. There are loads of mobile repair services out there like Likewize Repair, which can fix your phone so that you do not have to go through the pain of signing up for a new contract. Getting your phone repaired instead of throwing it away reduces the amount of electrical waste on the planet, which is a much more eco-friendlier solution. Also, don’t underestimate the bag of rice trick. I can testify that it works!

Work From Home When Possible

One of the biggest ways to reduce the impact of carbon emissions on our planet is by cutting down on driving. And one of the positive side effects of the pandemic was that it opened our eyes to working from home.

Fortunately, modern technology has advanced to the point where you can do virtually all the things you would do at an office-based environment from the comfort of your own home. You can open video chat software to communicate with your colleagues and send and receive projects online. As such, you can cut out or reduce your daily commute. This may not be an option for everyone, but the more people who start working from home, the less of an impact their cars are going to have on the planet. Many companies are now offering hybrid solutions which make the best of both worlds.

Choose energy efficient appliances – and dispose of responsibly

Computer technology isn’t the only tech you use that needs to be eco-friendly. Just as your smartphone has a limited lifespan, so too do your household appliances.

It’s really important to bear in mind that if you upgrade your bulky electrical goods, you dispose of them correctly because of gasses they might emit, toxic components that can contaminate land, water or air or simply that they contain valuable materials which can be reused. Most Household Waste and Recycling Centres offer white goods and electronics recycling and some councils will collect from your kerbside. Fortunately, manufacturers of white goods are producing more efficient models all the time. So while it’s best to fix, repair and keep items going for as long as possible, buying new might mean more efficiency and higher sustainability. Most companies will take your old appliances for recycling too, so it’s a win-win.