When it comes time to get rid of old e-waste, you have several options. You can find the nearest private company or government-owned recycling center that takes electronic devices. You can hang on to your old computer, television, cell phone and other e-waste until a special collection event takes place in your community. You can search for a nonprofit that fixes electronic goods and donates it to schools and charities. Or you can get creative with it. There are lots of fun ways to repurpose your e-waste into useful items. Here are five everyday e-waste items that can be transformed into cool new gizmos.
1. Video game systems and cartridges
Perhaps no video game system was as cherished as the original Nintendo Entertainment System, which introduced a generation to the joys of at-home video game systems. So it’s no surprise that a number of enterprising people have found ways to take the various parts of those systems and make other things with them.Nintendo game controllers have been transformed into belt buckles and wallets; alarm clocks and iPad docks; night lights and portable MP3 players. Video game consoles can become small coffee tables and lunchboxes.
Old video game cartridges are also ideal for reuse. Ink Whiskey makes whiskey flasks that look like old Nintendo game cartridges. Only $20 will get you your own Drunk Hunt, Super Bar-Hop Bros. or some other nostalgically-named flask. And when you’re finished consuming all the liquid in your video game cartridge flask, here’s the perfect place to relieve yourself of it: a game cartridge urinal.
2. Console TVs
My grandmother always had a console TV smack dab in the middle of her living room. Not one of the television consoles that were so popular in the 1980s – those chipboard monstrosities with drawers and cabinets and a big gaping hole where your television was supposed to sit. No, this was a giant box with a television built right into it.She liked it because it looked like a piece of furniture. But reselling console TVs was impossible, and recycling them was tricky because there were so many non-electronic components to them.
Console TVs can once again become functional pieces of furniture (or somewhat silly pieces of art) thanks to creative upcyclers. A blog called Dishfunctional Designs shows photographs of console TVs transformed into fish tanks, liquor cabinets and bookshelves. However, I’m most partial to the console TVs that have been reimagined as luxury pet beds.
One word of caution about reusing console TVs: Those bulky television screens can contain several pounds of lead. They’re perfectly safe to handle if the glass stays intact. However, if the glass gets broken, there’s a risk you can inhale some of the heavy metals. That can lead to serious health problems.
In addition, the cathode ray tube at the back of the television screen may still have an electric charge. If you handle it wrong, there’s a risk of receiving a pretty bad shock. If you have to remove the TV part of a console TV yourself, do it with extreme caution.
In addition, make sure you get the cathode ray tube to a qualified e-waste recycler for disposal.
3. SD cards and flash drives
Both of these tiny bits of e-waste are difficult to recycle because of their size and relative little worth. However, their size is an advantage when it comes to using them as crafty embellishments.If you have friends or family members who are big technology geeks, use old SD cards to make earrings, necklaces and other jewelry. Flash drives are a great size and shape for zipper pulls and key rings, especially if they already have a small hook on the end of them.
And here’s a creative way to actually put SD cards back to work for data storage. Follow these directions on Gizmodo to turn four mini-SD cards into one Solid state hard drive (SSD).
4. Computer disks
Computer disks – both the 5¼” and 3½” size – are a perfect medium for craft projects. They come in uniform shapes and sizes. They’re fairly durable, available in a variety of colors, and people who actually want them can get basically all they need. Plus those funny-looking floppy disks have a certain retro appeal.Cruise around on Pinterest for a while and you’ll find more recycled computer disk projects than you can possible imagine. Glue four into the shape of a box and place it around potted plants, tissue boxes and pencil holders. Use them as homemade spiral notebook covers. Pick the round metal circles out the 3½” disks and use them for earrings. Sew the 5¼” disks together to form purses and bags.
5. Light fixtures
Lamps, chandeliers, track lighting and other types of light fixtures also fall in the difficult-to-recycle e-waste category. They contain various materials, including metal, glass and plastic-coated wiring. They’re not particularly valuable, especially if they look like they came out of your grandmother’s console TV-infested house.But lighting is super trendy right now, and lots of people are transforming old light fixtures into new designs. This seriously outdated 1970s fake brass chandelier becomes a beautiful, vintage-looking light fixture thanks to some paint and some Mason jar lids. This blog post shows several examples of how removing or adding light covers, crystals, beads and other components can make a big difference in how a light fixture looks.
Table lamps and other light fixtures can also see serious improvement with a little DIY action. Enter the term “thrift store lamp makeover” in a search engine and you’ll get lots of results. Outdated floor lamps can be made over just as easily. This article has ideas on how to “spiff up a ceiling fan” and its light fixtures.
If you’re looking to create a cool new light for your house, don’t feel like you have to limit yourself to salvaged light fixtures. People are making lamps out of all kinds of things: old bird cages, galvanized metal pieces, wine bottles, metal sheeting, tin cans, exhaust fans and so much more. If you have a pendant lamp or other small light fixture you can recycle into your new light fixture, all the better.