Hopefully you are now familiar with all your new toys and gadgets. With touch screens, high definition everything and all the other techie gifts you received over the holidays, your older electronics are now gathering dust. You may even have a VCR, stereo or laser disc player in the garage gathering dust.
If you’re feeling an urge to purge, wait! Throwing your old electronics in the dumpster is not the way to go. A few clicks on the Internet or even a short drive can help you clear your clutter, avoid contaminating your other trash and help out the planet.
What is electronic waste (e-waste)?
E-waste includes all of your outdated electronics. That encompasses computers, laptops, monitors, printers, cell phones, televisions, cables, wires and even calculators. Basically anything with circuitry or electrical components, with power or battery supply is considered e-waste.
Placing these items, like old toasters, in your normal trash bins can release hazardous materials into the environment when it heads to a landfill. Cadmium, found in rechargeable computer batteries in your laptop, can accumulate in the environment and prove toxic to our kidneys and bones. Flat screen computer monitors and television screens contain mercury, which can damage our body’s nervous system, kidney and brain. These are just a few of the many dangerous elements that can lurk in your dusty old appliances.
How to get rid of it
With a little research (we promise less than two minutes), it’s easy to find an e-waste drop-off station, event or even schedule a pick-up. We found AllGreenRecycling.com with drop-off stations in every Orange County city. All Green Electronics Recycling, based out of Tustin, will pick-up your e-waste from your home, often for free.
E-waste is initially broken down into its most basic parts. If it’s inefficient to dismantle the product, it will often go through a shredder. After dismantling or shredding, what remains – iron, copper, aluminum, plastic, glass, precious metals, (shredded) circuit boards – are sold.
If you have concerns about data security, All Green Electronics Recycling has options ranging from low-cost data wipes to Department of Defense certified wipes, giving peace of mind with a digital wipe of your hard drives in addition to a physical shredding.
So what?
Not convinced it’s worth it? Check out the Electronics Recycling Carbon Footprint Calculator below. It breaks down into how many pounds of carbon emissions you are not releasing into the atmosphere, as well as how many gallons of gas, trees saved and plastic bottles or aluminum cans recycled!
To find your closest drop-off location, click here, or find an event near you.
