Importance of Recycling Electronics

Electronics carry a lot of recyclable material as well as toxic waste. Improper disposal of electronics can pollute the air we breathe and the ozone layer. Sometimes, recycling electronics is as simple as reusing them in a different way or giving them to someone that can fix them instead of tossing them in the land fill.

Toxic Waste: Many traditional televisions, not including the LCD flat panel televisions, have four to eight pounds of lead in each one. Not only is lead a poison that can make animals and plants severely sick, lead can poison humans, too. By not disposing of these televisions properly, lead poisoning is eminent and can easily be released into the air. The fluorescent tubes that light our computer monitors contain mercury, a very poisonous toxin. Without proper disposal of these electronics, we are putting our own lives at risk.

Filling our Landfills: It was estimated by the EPA that 414,000 tons of electronics were dumped into landfills in 2007. This is horrible because with the proper recycling methods, electronics could be reused for several other things instead of filling up the little space that we have in the world to send our trash.

Recycling Reduces Emissions: If one million computers were recycled, it helps to eliminate the same amount of greenhouse gasses emitted from 16,000 passenger cars. America, by itself, holds over 3 billion electronics; surely recycling some of them to reuse as parts for new electronics or for the metal or plastic on them should be no challenge.

How to Recycle Electronics: Most any store that sells electronics such as Best Buy and Radio Shack will take any old electronics to be eCycled. A truck comes and picks up these items once a month and takes them to a recycling plant where a trained professional will recycle the electronics safely.