Earth Day

What are the best reasons for buying a used laptop

1. Cost Savings

  • Significant Price Reduction: Used laptops are typically much cheaper than new ones. You can get a laptop with similar specifications at a fraction of the price, which is great if you’re on a budget.

  • Value for Money: Even if a used laptop isn’t brand new, it could still offer excellent performance for most daily tasks, providing great value for the price.

2. Environmental Impact

  • Sustainability: By purchasing a used laptop, you're contributing to reducing electronic waste (e-waste), which is a significant environmental issue. Reusing electronics helps minimize the need for new raw materials and reduces carbon emissions associated with manufacturing new devices.

  • Recycling & Reusing: The process of refurbishing and reselling used laptops helps give devices a second life and keeps them out of landfills.

3. Better Hardware for Your Budget

  • Higher-End Models at Lower Prices: With the money you save, you might be able to buy a laptop that is more powerful or has more features than you could afford when buying new. For example, you could purchase a high-end business laptop or gaming machine for the price of a mid-range new laptop.

  • Upgrades: Some used laptops might come with upgrades, like extra RAM or SSDs, that would cost more if bought new.

4. Depreciation

  • Avoid Initial Depreciation: New laptops lose a significant portion of their value the moment they're purchased. By buying a used one, you’re not taking that initial hit to the device's value.

5. Laptops for Specific Uses

  • Niche or Older Models: If you need a specific laptop model or older device for a certain use case (e.g., older software compatibility, gaming, or legacy hardware), a used laptop could be the best option. Certain brands or models that are no longer produced can be found at used markets.

  • Test Out a Model: If you're unsure about a particular model but don’t want to pay full price for a new one, buying a used one can let you test it out and see if it meets your needs.

6. Refurbished Options

  • Certified Refurbished Laptops: Many companies sell used laptops that have been professionally refurbished. These laptops often come with warranties, and they’ve been repaired, cleaned, and tested to ensure they function like new.

7. Available Warranties and Support

  • Warranty and Return Policies: Some sellers or manufacturers offer warranties even on used or refurbished laptops. This means you can still get customer support or have a device replaced if something goes wrong.

8. Flexibility for Non-Critical Tasks

  • Great for Secondary Devices: Used laptops are great for secondary purposes such as browsing the web, light office work, or using it as a secondary machine. If you're looking for something for basic tasks or a backup device, a used laptop is often more than sufficient.

9. Experimenting with Customization

  • More Room to Experiment: You can buy a used laptop and use it for things like upgrading parts (e.g., replacing the hard drive or adding more RAM), which can be a fun and cost-effective way to learn more about computers and hardware.

In the end, buying a used laptop can be a fantastic decision, especially if you're looking for a good deal, are environmentally conscious, or want a specific model without breaking the bank. Just make sure to buy from reputable sellers or platforms to avoid potential issues.

Canada, Mexico tariffs poised to disrupt recycling sector

by Colin Staub for eScrap News

The Recycled Materials Association warned of potential “severe” disruption to the materials recovery sector after tariffs targeting the U.S.’s largest trading partners took effect this week. Some tariffs on Mexican imports were paused for another month on March 6. Meanwhile, Canada’s proposed response includes tariffs on U.S. exports of recycled materials.

READ MORE…

Recycling critical metals from electronics could ease mining impacts

In short:

  • The latest Global E-Waste Monitor highlights the vast quantities of metals like copper and aluminum in discarded electronics, with only a fraction currently recycled.

  • Essential for low-carbon technologies, these metals could significantly offset the demand currently met through environmentally damaging mining.

  • Improved recycling technologies and policies are crucial for increasing the recovery of rare and valuable metals from e-waste.

Key quote:

“There is very little reporting on the recovery of metals [from e-waste] globally. We felt that it was our duty to get more facts on the table.”

— Kees Baldé, lead report author

Why this matters:

Metals like copper and aluminum, when improperly disposed of, can leach into soil and water, potentially harming wildlife and impacting human health through the food and water supply. Recycling e-waste can mitigate these risks. By recovering metals like copper and aluminum from old electronics, we not only reduce the environmental harm but also decrease the need to extract raw materials, which often involves ecologically and socially harmful mining practices.

In 2021, electronic waste from outweighed the Great Wall of China.

https://www.ehn.org/recycling-critical-metals-from-electronics-could-ease-mining-impacts-2667811868.html

Sustainable solutions to overconsumption challenges in modern marketing

by Dani Rae Wascher, University of New Mexico

Professor of Marketing at the Anderson School of Management, Catherine Roster, provides insight into the marketing world of overconsumption and a shift in mindset to sustainability long-term.

Roster, along with her colleague Joseph Ferrari, a psychologist at DePaul University, co-authored a research article published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology where they discovered that clutter has a strong negative relationship with people's feelings of well-being and their psychological sense of home, which reflects a person's feelings about home being a safe refuge. Read More…

State budget provision stymies local plastic reduction efforts in North Carolina

by Will Atwater September 26, 2023 NC Health News

Environmental advocates across the state were shocked last week by the insertion of a provision in House Bill 259, now part of the 2023-24 state budget, that blocks local municipalities from establishing ordinances to reduce single-use plastic use. - You can’t make this stuff up!

“Plastic waste is a scourge on our society on many levels,” said Wil Weldon, board chair of Don’t Waste Durham, a nonprofit organization working to eliminate waste by establishing a so-called circular economy, a system designed to “keep materials, products and services in circulation for as long as possible” to slow climate change, according to the EPA. If fewer single-use materials, such as plastics, are produced, it lowers CO2 emissions from fossil fuels used to make plastics, and it reduces emissions from plastic waste decomposition. READ MORE…