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The electronics industry has made so much progress that there are new models of computers, mobile phones, Smartphone’s, tablet devices and video games released almost every other month.

People rush to buy the latest gadget to keep up with the times. They may be lucky to sell thier older electronic that are in good working condition or they can donate them to charity.

If they are being disposed of, proper recycling steps need to be followed in the interest of environmental safety, consider contacting a local waste management company.

Dangers of Electronic Waste

Electronic items contain large amounts of lead and cadmium, mercury and other toxic substances. When the electronic waste is dumped into a landfill, the outer body of these items decomposes and the poisonous substances seep into the ground or they are released into the air. Eventually, they leak into the public water supply system or they are spread into the environment through rain and settle on agricultural products. Human consumption of these substances can be fatal.

Proper E-Waste Disposal

Most of the big electronics companies carry out recycling of obsolete electronic parts. They may even offer the customer a discount on their next purchase as an incentive for recycling responsibly. These companies then create refurbished products out of the recycled e-waste.

Besides, there are local drop-off points designated for dumping of e-waste in each neighborhood. These bins are emptied by the appropriate disposal companies and taken for processing. These are then taken to special processing units where they are broken down into small pieces. Powerful magnets are used to extract iron and steel from the debris. Metals like aluminum, copper and brass are filtered out from the non-metallic waste and re-used as raw material in various manufacturing units. Of late, some companies have learned the process of extracting trace amounts of precious metals such as platinum, gold and silver from circuit boards.

The process of recycling electronic waste is slow and expensive, but it needs to be done to protect the earth from its toxic hazards. Every person should take an active part in the recycling of electronic items.

Key Takeaways:

• Used electronic goods that have not completed their life should be handed down to family / friends, sold as second-hand items or donated to charity.
• Some electronic manufacturers accept e-waste for producing refurbished goods.
• Government and local recycling services collect such waste from specific drop-off points in each locality.
• Electronic gadgets that are no longer working should be recycled in the proper manner.

Need Help?

If you’re interested in disposing your electronic waste but are having trouble getting started, contact us today!

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