Electronics waste collectors offer ways for you to recycle your E-waste in a way that is environmentally safe and reliable. However, why should you make the effort to actually round up all your old electronics and take them into a recycling center?
In this blog we’re going to answer exactly why you should make the effort, some of the answers may just surprise you and cause you to re-think just letting those old electronics just sit idle.
What is E-Waste?
E-waste refers to items such as computers, cellphones, televisions, tablet computers, etc. The three major issues that surround E-waste:
- They are extremely abundant, (think of how many people around the world own these items)
- They contain rare early minerals which are extremely toxic to produce and dispose of
- They are seldom recycled
Additionally, the problem is growing. As wages rise and the availability of these products grows, so does the potential environmental impact. According to the Global E-Waste Statistics Partnership, in 2016, the amount of E-waste had grown by 8 percent since 2014. The same organization sites that only 20% of 2016’s E-waste is documented to have been collected and recycled.
Environmental Impact of E-Waste Collection
What if every resource used in the world could be used again rather than simply being disposed of? That is the essence of recycling at every level. The rare earth minerals contained in electronics is very toxic to mine and refine for usage in consumer items.
Herein lies a solution, recycling these items means that they can be processed and the rare earth minerals extracted. The process of extracting these compounds means that they can be repurposed and used again and therefore means less environmentally damaging mining.
In addition to having to mine less of these toxic materials, when these items are recycled they don’t end up in landfills. When E-waste is improperly disposed of, the toxins inside can leach out into the environment causing innumerable amounts of harm.
Personal Benefits
While the environmental benefits of recycling your E-waste are numerous, and you individually reap benefits as a result of an overall healthier planet, there are other benefits that you may not have even thought of.
Taking your old electronics to an electronic waste collector can benefit you financially! Electronics commonly contain precious metals such as gold and silver. An article published in July 2018 by the “New York Times” references a United Nations University report which claims that, “the raw materials contained in E-waste were worth roughly $61 billion in 2016, more than the gross domestic product of even middle-income countries like Croatia or Costa Rica”.
The article also states that, “the precious metals in E-waste, found especially in circuit boards, are more concentrated than in the most productive mines. In 2016, the gold in the world’s E-waste equaled more than a tenth of the gold mined globally that year. Yet much of this treasure is simply reburied in landfills. Based on e-waste disposal rates, Americans alone throw out phones worth $60 million in gold and silver every year”.
How much you can make will vary based on market prices as well as the facility that you bring your items to, but essentially turning in what is trash that is no longer wanted will make you money.
GLEC – Electronics Waste Collectors
E-Waste is a huge problem in our modern, technology driven world. There are many merits to recycling E-waste rather than simply throwing it away. Recycling your E-waste benefits the environment in dozens of ways as well as making you money!
A great way to recycle e-waste, is to contact an electronic recycling firm like Great Lake Electronics Corporation. We will assist you in the processing and recycling the waste in a proper, environmentally-friendly manner and of course will compensate you for the items that you bring to us.