What’s the Difference? Electric vs. Electronic

I have a sneaking suspicion that children’s animated movies play with our subconscious minds as adults.

What does that have to do with electronic vs. electric waste? Everything — because these same movies give life to inanimate objects, blurring the line between say, a toaster and a computer. Which one is electronic (and therefore needs special care when disposing) and which can be tossed in the trash?

Let’s dissect this statement: A toaster is electric, but it isn’t e-waste; a computer is electronic and it is e-waste.

What is the difference between the two? How can you tell?

The simple distinction between electronic and electric was put into even simpler words by a volunteer at an e-waste event that I covered a year-and-a-half ago at California State University – Fresno.

“A toaster oven is not electronic,” said Moreno, a temporary worker. “They think [we’re accepting] basic waste, but it has to have something electronic that has a brain.”

But what does a “brain” mean? Well, remember it like this: The brain helps you process information and presents things to you, and the same thinking goes for figuring out the difference between electric appliances and electronic waste. If it does things for you, it is an electronic device. If you have to tell it what to do, it is almost always an electric appliance. Let’s apply this to a couple of real-life examples. A TV shows you the evening news; it’s an electronic, and therefore it is e-waste. With a washing machine, you have to plug in the numbers and tell it what to do. It’s an appliance, and therefore an electric device you can dispose of easily. Too bad a washer doesn’t have a mind of its own; it’d be nice to have my clothes on an “as-needed” automatic cycle. If only it had a brain…

Ah, a brain. So, that’s it: something that can make things happen — in real life. I better find a place for my laptop…