As technology becomes cheaper and new devices constantly enter the market, we find ourselves quickly replacing our electronics and unsure about what to do with the old ones. The answer to that question is easy – recycle them!
“Recycling electronics helps reduce technology’s carbon footprint and extracts much-needed parts and metals that are reused everyday,” said Douglas Lane, President, Digital Products Group, Haier America. “Haier is committed to safely recycling electronic products and product materials through Electronic Recyclers International (ERI), which specializes in professionally managed separation and disposal systems.”
Electronic waste (or e-waste) is one of the fastest growing sectors of our waste stream. Recycling our old, unwanted televisions and electronics serves two purposes: to keep hazardous materials out of the waste stream, and to recover the valuable materials found in electronic devices. Electronics contain hazardous substances such as mercury, lead, and hexavalent chromium. By recycling our electronics, we help reduce the amount of hazardous materials being sent to our landfills, as well as the potential exposure for us and our families from improper handling of such materials.
Recycling old electronics also sends valuable materials such as glass, plastic, steel, and precious metals like gold and copper back into the manufacturing process. Recycling electronics thus becomes the new Urban Mining. Visit www.urbanmining.org for more information. The recovery of these materials during the recycling process reduces the need for virgin materials in the manufacturing of new products. By not mining for virgin materials and incorporating more recyclable materials into our manufacturing processes, we are reducing the negative environmental impact that the mining of virgin materials can have on the quality of our air, land, and water.
Unsure where to start? Here are some tips for recycling your old electronics:
- Start digging. Begin by pulling out those old electronics and accepting that it is okay to let go. Do you really need to hang on to that five-year old cell phone when you’ve had two new cell phones in that same time period? What about those three-year old computer towers in the closet? Would they even be able to meet your computing needs today?
- Prepare your electronics. When recycling your electronics, it is important to remove any personal information from the device. There are a variety of programs out there to remove personal information from your devices. If you aren’t as tech-savvy as others, it may be easier to ensure your electronics are being recycled by a company that provides data destruction certification by wiping your hard drive clean or completely destroying it. Your local collection or drop-off programs will be able to tell you the type of data destruction services their electronics recyclers provide.
- Find a collection program. Identify your nearest local collection or drop-off program. Websites such as www.1800recycling.com can assist you with searching for the nearest location to properly dispose of your e-waste for recycling. It also helps that twenty four states currently have e-waste programs designed to make it easier for the public to recycle their old electronics.
- Come prepared. Be sure to ask about possible fees, hours of operation, or other restrictions when recycling your e-waste through a local collection program. In order to off-set the costs of recycling e-waste, collection programs may charge a small fee. Other programs may charge but provide a coupon or credit for the purchase of a new electronic device. It’s important to know what to expect when your drop off your electronics.
- Recycle! Drop off your old electronics for recycling and rest easy knowing that you’ve done the right thing!
If you live in the Los Angeles area, come down to the NBA All-Star E-waste Recycling Day presented by Haier at the Los Angeles Convention Center on February 12 to drop off old electronics and receive tickets to Family Day (Monday, Feb. 21) at NBA All-Star Jam Session presented by Adidas, which takes place at the Convention Center Feb. 18-21. Tickets are limited so get there early!