The Importance Of Proper Electronic Recycling
In the digital age, most of us have the experience of our old devices piling up in bins and drawers as we upgrade them over the years. While electronics can be recycled, it can feel difficult to figure out the specifics of how to properly dispose of each individual item, but it’s important that we do.
According to the United Nations’ most recent estimates, the world generates millions of tons of electronic waste (e-waste) annually. In 2022, for example, people around the world produced 137 billion pounds of e-waste with only 22% of it being properly recycled.
The Environmental Protection Agency echoed those estimates, claiming that less than a quarter of e-waste is recycled in the US every year.
When e-waste goes to regular landfills, the devices can emit harmful materials that can hurt our environment. They also contain metals that are hard to source, so recycling is the best option to maintain sustainability.
Rick Neitzel, an environmental health sciences professor, said:
“The way that we’re creating and using and disposing of these devices has generated this completely unsustainable waste stream, and there’s no signs of that abating at all. In fact, the trend continues to accelerate.”
If more electronics were properly recycled, it could also drive down to costs of some newer electronics.
Electronics have such a wide range of materials and types, making recycling seem daunting. Recyclers need to be able to extract each component and material efficiently, which can be a complex, energy-intensive, and expensive process, Neitzel said.
Components such as steel, aluminum, copper, gold, silver, plastics and even glass, can be recovered and reused, said John Shegerian, founder of Electronic Recyclers International, to AP.
“These electronics — which could and have historically ended up in our landfills or in other inappropriate places — can leak all the stuff that’s contained there within: Mercury, lead, cadmium, beryllium, arsenic. All these things are horrible if they get into our environmental ecosystem,” Shegerian said.
If one of your devices is newer and still in working condition, manufacturers can potentially refurbish and resell it. There are organizations that will also refresh and reset these devices to give them to those in need or community-type centers to be utilized for free by many.
If you think your device can no longer be refurbished, checking in with a manufacturer is still a great place to start when it comes to being guided in the right direction on properly disposing your device.
“The manufacturers are where we want this stuff to end up because they know their products, they know best and most efficiently how to recycle them,” Neitzel said.
There are major retailers that also offer recycling services. Stores like Best Buy and Staples often accept big and small devices for recycling, and can even help with larger items like refrigerators and televisions.
Many local governments also have information regarding where to drop off certain electronics in your specific area, so make sure to check out your community websites and local offices for information as well.
“Typically, if you’re dropping them off at a government-run electronic waste collection station, you can be confident in that,” Neitzel said.
There are many online resources that you can also use to mail-in your old devices to have them properly disposed of. Many websites such as Waste Management, Amazon, Best Buy, and others will send you boxes directly to your door to fill up and mail out for disposal.
Eric Mastrota is a Contributing Editor at The National Digest based in New York. A graduate of SUNY New Paltz, he reports on world news, culture, and lifestyle. You can reach him at eric.mastrota@thenationaldigest.com.
