If you read my last post, then you would know we discussed some tips that can help make recycling materials more efficient. While we all know the basics of recycling, there are actually many specifics that aren't taught, but are quite important when it comes to recycling materials properly. In this post, I will give you the last few tips on how you can make your recycling the best it can be, and further help us reduce waste and become better stewards of the environment.
Recycling Electronics: Why Do It?
We all have that one piece of electronic junk sitting in our basement or around the house. Whether it be used cables, a broken TV, or an old phone, most if not all electronics can be recycled. However, recycling electronics can be a lot different from recycling other materials, and unfortunately this leads to many people choosing to throw out their electronics rather than recycle them. What many don't know is that throwing away electronics can actually pose a health threat, not just an environmental one. Most electronics incorporate some sort of lead or mercury, two toxins that, if left in the trash, can leach into the rest of the trash you may have. This can create a health hazard for workers handling this trash, and makes their job more dangerous. Additionally, in some states, CRT TVs are even banned from land fills, and cannot be thrown in the trash.
So, if you do have an electronic that you are not using any longer for whatever reason, it is important that you recycle it. In many states e-waste (or electronic device waste) is the fastest going category out of all the different kinds of waste products. So know that we know why to recycle electronics, how exactly do we do it?
How to Recycle Electronics
There are three main ways that you can recycle your electronics: Bringing a device to a specific electronics recycle company, donating it to an organization, or giving it to a tech firm. While no option is necessarily better than the rest, there are some limits and guidelines for each of them.
(Thanks to Consumer Reports for providing most of the information used in this section)
Bringing it to a company that recycles electronics: There are many companies around the world that can recycle your electronics for you. Most of them are free, however some may have a small fee that you need to pay. Essentially, these companies take your electronics, break them down into their key materials, and sell those materials for use in new products. However, some companies only accept certain kinds of electronics, like the company Call2Recycle, which offers places to drop off rechargeable batteries and old cellphones at many different locations around the U.S. Through Call2Recycle, you can also create your own drop off sites for others to recycle their electronics. Also, many cities and towns offer their own collection day for electronics other than batteries and cell phones. You can find a map of recycling centers around your area at ECyclingCentral.
Donating your electronics: In many cases, it is better to donate working electronics then to recycle them. There are a few primary organizations that will take old electronics, even if they don't work.
eBay for Charity: allows you to sell your devices, and then donate the money you make to a charity of your choosing.
AmericanCellPhoneDrive.org: As the name states, this organization will take any brand of used cell phone, and then will refurbish, resell, or recycle them.
Dell Reconnect: Accepts any kind of computer, or any part or peripheral for it. They are partnered with Goodwill, so if you don't contact them directly you can drop these items off at your local Goodwill location.
World Computer Exchange: Accepts computers, peripherals, and other pieces of technology. They then refurbish them and send them to impoverished companies to help bridge the technology gap.
Giving electronics to a tech firm: Finally, you can also donate electronics to a tech company, and most of the time you can even get a gift card or payment in return. A few companies that offer electronic donations are Best Buy, Sprint, and Amazon. If you would like to see all programs for a company that may be near you, you can check out this chart (down the page) at the EPA's website.
Recycling Batteries
Lastly, how people recycle their batteries is one of the most common mistakes in recycling. In fact, many consider it better to throw away batteries, as they believe that it is not cost-effective to recycle them. However, there are many cost-effective programs through which batteries can be recycled, and it is important that we recognize them so we can start re-using batteries and make recycling as a whole more efficient.
The process through which batteries are recycled can be split into two categories: One-use and rechargeable. While it is more useful to recycle rechargeable batteries, due to the usage of harmful chemicals, one-use batteries can still be recycled. The reason they are not as valuable to recycle as rechargeable ones is because, in 1996, these batteries were banned from containing Mercury, so it is not as much of an issue if you do not recycle them. However, recycling these batteries is still a great way to help the environment, so how exactly can you recycle them?
As far as I have found, there are two main ways to recycle batteries. First, you can mail them in to a recycling company. This is an easy way to collect and get rid of any batteries you may have, but the boxes used to ship them can be expensive. You can check out one company who ships batteries in here. If you find these boxes too expensive, I recommend organizing a battery drive within your neighborhood. This way, you can all split the cost of however many boxes you may need, and everyone gets to recycle their batteries.
Additionally, there are also recycling locations around the country that accept batteries if you want to drop them off in person. However, these locations are few and far between, so I would say shipping them is the better option. However, you can look at the locations here if you want to see if you are close to one (near bottom of the page).
Conclusion
So, by knowing how and where to recycle our electrical devices and components, we can ensure that the materials within them are not wasted. Recycling electronics not only helps to maintain a healthier waste disposing system, but also helps the environment significantly by reducing the amount of harmful materials we have to put into the ground or incinerate. I hope this post gave you a little more insight into how you can better recycle your devices. Thanks for reading!
All credit for information used in this post goes to:
http://www.ecyclingcentral.com/
http://www.consumerreports.org/electronics-computers/how-to-recycle-old-electronics/
http://www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/massdep/recycle/reduce/electronics-recycling.html
http://earth911.com/recycling-guide/how-to-recycle-single-use-batteries/
https://biggreenbox.com/?variant=1044201105
Images:
http://konknet.com/2015-04-22/
https://venturebeat.com/2012/07/12/aereo-expanding-cities/
http://greenermiami.com/2011/01/free-electronics-recycling-in-miami/
http://www.waa.ca/blog/post/869/battery-and-cell-phone-recycling-program
http://www.goodwillakron.org/donate/information/dell-reconnect-computer-recycling-program
http://www.alaskapublic.org/2016/10/31/epa-fines-two-fuel-terminals-for-clean-air-violations/
https://www.groupon.com/deals/gg-duracell-coppertop-batteries-with-duralock-technology-10
http://blogs.dailyrecord.com/domestitech/2014/02/21/battery-blues/
https://biggreenbox.com/
http://www.fundraisingip.com/fundraising/recycle-electronics-for-cash/
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