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Technology Batteries Catching Alight

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Smartphones are Catching Alight

We’ve all seen the news stories about batteries catching fire; from smartphones to vape cigarettes. With that in mind, it’s a surprise how many don’t consider the hazard of combusting batteries when they throw an old technology item away.

Quite often phones, laptops and tablets are thrown away rather than being recycled properly. We’re usually reminding consumers about the hazard they pose to the environment, but rarely do we mention the danger of combustion.

The Danger Of e-Waste

In 2017 in California, the state blamed an astonishing 65% of fires at waste facilities on redundant technology. With such staggeringly high statistics, they have launched a campaign to raise awareness. It’s likely there are factors like warm weather contributing to this, but it doesn’t mean we’re exempt from the same issues here in the UK.

Last year in New York a waste collector was put at risk as a battery exploded; this happened as the truck began to crush the waste together to make more space. Something that could easily happen here in the UK.

Flights

Airlines around the world were quick to ban the use of mobile phone brands and models which were notorious for catching alight. Although the issue was resolved and devices were replaced it’s not uncommon.

Charging Your Phone at Night

Millions of mobile users keep their phone by the bed at night, or even under their pillow; however, this can have fatal consequences. It’s now advised that consumers don’t leave phones on charge overnight in case they catch fire. The plug can even catch alight when it’s left plugged in, switched on but with no phone attached.

Recycling Your Tec.

Here at Recycle You Tec will keep these harmful items out of landfills by recycling them in Africa, Asia and less fortunate companies for a second home, not only do we do this, we also pay you for these items, unlike most recycling companies who ask you for money.

 

Contact our partners today at www.recycleyourtec.com

This blog is completed by ALM Wholesale LTD.

Battery Life Tips

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Everyone has been there, looking for the nearest plug in a restaurant, bar and even the airport when our devices have used every last percentage of battery, regardless of what’s caused it, there are some ways to increase battery life.

Your devices have a finite number of times they can be changed,  Your average iPhone battery will last between 300-500 battery charges before its charge capacity is reduced to 80%, so here a a few tips to make the most out of your batteries.

100% charged
When you’re charging a device its best to ensure it’s always charged to 100%. We can’t be sure if a partial charge is considered as part of the charge cycle ( battery charges )  but it creates heat and energy so it does wear down the battery in the same way as a normal charge.

Don’t leave It Plugged In
It’s also advised not to leave your laptop or phone plugged in when it’s fully charged. Unfortunately, most people leave their mobile and laptop plugged in overnight; which means currents are passing through the battery for a long period of time. By doing this you will eventually start causing the battery to corrode. Once your alarm has gone off in the morning, plug it in for a charge in airplane mode,by the time you’ve had breakfast and got ready for the day your device should be charged.

For laptops, it’s best to plug it in while you’re working. Don’t leave it plugged in indefinitely though; it will mean that the battery life is poor when you eventually need it.

Use the correct cable
It might sound silly when phone companies get you to buy their cables when yours has gone missing, but it’s potentially dangerous not to. Cables and plugs can pass different levels of electricity through to your device. If a cable gives your phone/laptop extra electricity, it may charge faster but cause damage to the battery.

Background Activity
Apples users

You can turn off the feature that allows apps to refresh in the background. Go to Settings > General > Background App Refresh and set the switch to Off.

Android users

Almost all smartphones have extra power saving mode, they are great and definitely something to be using, to see what’s using most of the battery, Navigate to Settings > Battery to see an organized breakdown of what’s consuming your phone’s battery. Applications and features will display in a descending list of battery hogs. If you see an application you barely use or a feature you never use, you’ll want to uninstall the app or turn off the feature.

Brightness.

Turn down the brightness and turn off Automatic Brightness, this is massively help with battery life on your phone, laptop and tablets.

Finally….
Buy a battery case or larger extended battery. Battery cases combine a hardware enclosure, which protects your phone, with an extended battery that can double your phone’s endurance.

We use our technology more than ever before, protect the batteries life, you will notice the benefit of this when it comes to a time your unable to find a plug.

This Blog was completed by ALM Wholesale Ltd..

View our website here.

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What effects did toxic E waste have ?

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“E-waste is a problem that isn’t going away anytime soon” but together we all can make a difference, what effects does toxic E ( Electronic ) waste have ?

E-Waste accounts for 40% of the lead and 75% of heavy metals found in landfills, When e-waste is warmed up, the toxic chemicals are released into the air, damaging the atmosphere, it pollutes groundwater (kills animals), acidification of soil and it can have major effects on the human body too, lung cancer, damage to DNA, to the heart, live and spleen, it even could promote chronic damage to the brain.

What E- waste are the main causers of this ?

It’s estimated around 15-20% of all E-Waste is recycled per year, that 15-20% of 2m tonnes that UK households and companies discard on a yearly basis, the rest is simply dumped into a landfill, its also estimated around 50 million tons of E-~Waste are produced worldwide, if we think about just 15-20% of that being recycled, that would leave 42.5 million tons of E-Waste sitting in our landfills worldwide and alot of these items can we recycled & reused.

Just with Recycle Your Tec alone, we accepted all forms of items be it damaged or in working order, we recycle the item into less fortunate countries and proved these with a New Lease Of Life, if the item is unusable, our partners simply use it for parts to fix the next item, reducing the risk of being dumped into a landfill.

It worrying to think that these numbers will just keep increasing year by year as technology improves and the latest items are released, like me, I’m sure you want the latest and greatest out on the market and that’s not a bad thing, it helps provide jobs, increases our infrastructure but this shouldn’t come at a price of our health, our wildlife and environment.

The next time you buy a new phone, laptop or PC just think about what you are going to do with your old one, donating it to loved ones is a great start, but be careful on who you give the items too, you might just be giving it away thinking that all recycle companies are just that, recycling, but they might just be throwing this into a landfill regardless if the items works or if it could be reused.

Companies like Recycle Your Tec, provides a service to individuals looking to recycle used technology, be it coming from a school, business, charity and giving these items New Lease Of Life scheme, the goods are then given a new home in Africa, Asia and parts of Europe, to be enjoyed all over again.

While we can’t immediately change the world and the way we recycle right away, with a little help and understanding we can make a difference now.

Blog completed by ALM Wholesale LTD t/a Recycle Your Tec
Visit our website Here.

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What’s better for university a laptop or tablet?

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We all understand how challenging is it to save money for university and the course you are about to undertake,having the right laptop or tablet can help with your studies but, which is right for you?

It all depends on the course you’re taking,

An Art degree – A Microsoft surface will do wonders to help with your art work, thanks to its Overall Portability and its lightweight surface pen.
Maybe your taking a law or business degree, which will require you to do alot of writing, OneNote is a great free tool for the iPad and Windows based laptops, it enables you to take notes as if it was in a well organised, digital notepad.

Tablets are a great way to take notes, but make sure you back them up at least once a week, you don’t want to lose this invaluable information.

But what’s better?

Laptops can be heavy to take to a lecture every day, but there are some really great ones on the market which are lightweight that could slip into your bag, They also run programs such as Microsoft OneNote or Word so you’re not missing out on the well-organised note taking apps, even consider using Google Docs which instantly saves your work to its exceptional cloud ( not that cloud )

Small Laptops

It’s hard to know what type of laptop you need, depending on what you’ll be using it for and what programs you’ll be running, a Core i3 or i5 would be ideal, with around a 14 -inch screen, this is quick, small and lightweight, perfect for carrying to your lectures and there’s a great range of 14-inch devices on the market right now too.

Tablets and Dual Devices

Alternatively, if you’re looking for a laptop that converts to a tablet, there are gadgets such as the Microsoft Surface. These lightweight mini laptop tablets are great for travelling with, and using in different environments; although the small screens could prove problematic when writing long assignments.

Regardless of the device you get, make sure you backup your work at least once a month, alternatively use Google Docs which saves instantly to the cloud and your account.

Blog completed by ALM Wholesale LTD.

Please visit our website, HERE.