Proper electronics disposal is becoming more and more important in our world today. With people buying and disposing of more electronics than ever in the form of cell phones, televisions, and computers, our homes are crowding up with unwanted electronics, and our landfills are also crowding with unnecessary electronics and all the hazards they pose. Proper electronics disposal isn’t difficult, but many people fail to do the research and to understand why it’s important that they dispose of their electronics in a responsible, ethical manner. Here’s what you need to know about why properly disposing of your electronics is so important:
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Electronics in landfills are harmful to the environment
Landfill management is becoming more and more of a problem right now as we try to figure out what to do with all the trash the modern world creates. Adding to this problem are the millions of electronics that take up extra landfill space and never break down organically. Besides simply taking up space and thus requiring more landfills to open sooner, electronics are also harmful for the environment because they often contain harsh chemicals and heavy metals. These ingredients can leach into the ground and groundwater surrounding landfills, where they can create pollution problems for the nearby plant, animal, and human populations.
Electronics crowd our homes and storage units
One other problem with people not knowing about proper electronics disposal is that many people simply end up crowding homes or storage units with electronics they no longer use. They aren’t sure how to get rid of these electronics, so they just keep them around, hoping to figure it out someday. According to Computertakeback.com, about 68% of people stockpile unwanted computer equipment at home, and about 235 million units of unused electronics were stored in storage units as of 2007.
We can recover resources from electronics
Finally, it’s important to learn about proper electronics disposal because we can recover valuable resources – including precious metals and other useful metals – from recycled electronics, including computers and cell phones. When you recycle these products instead of throwing them away, recovered resources can be used to save energy in making new electronics and other products in the future!
It’s not hard to do
Proper electronics disposal isn’t rocket science. You simply need to find a recycling facility near you that uses responsible practices to recycle electronics by getting valuable resources back out of them and properly disposing of non-recyclable parts. If you’re in the San Diego area, Recycle San Diego can help you ethically deal with your electronics waste. If not, check out Earth911.org, where you can search for an electronics disposal and recycling company near you.
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