Want a Good Way to Deal With That Old Phone? Try Electronic Recycling, San Diego!
New data suggests nearly 51% of people are willing to upgrade their phone the moment a provider allows it, and for the country, that means one serious problem - lots of electronic waste. Wondering why that's a problem? It's a serious environmental risk, but the one way to put an end to it is electronic recycling. San Diego offers lots of great spaces to make that happen, but taking that first step is difficult.
Getting Rid of Your Computer? Four Tips You Need for Successful San Diego Electronic Recycling
When you purchase a new computer, the last thing you want to do with your old one is set it out for your trash company. Recycling that old computer is an easy process. It's actually a huge risk to ignore San Diego electronic recycling policy for a number of reasons. First, you could be facing a fine if you improperly dispose of your electronics. More than that, though, you're putting the environment at risk. Ready to try recycling instead? These tips can help.
The Surprising Price of E-Waste
Tens of millions of phones, millions of laptops and tablets, millions of televisions and cameras - so many electronic devices enter and leave our lives on a regular basis. Why would you get rid of a phone, television or laptop? Everyone has their reasons. Maybe the phone has a large crack in the screen, or maybe the television has burned pixels. So many electronics are replaced and when it’s “out with the old, in with the new”, you’re dealing with causing a lot of ecological situations that are adverse for our earth, especially since so many people don’t think about utilizing E-Waste recycling disposal.
E-Scrap and Personal Responsibility
Exporting e-scrap and e-waste overseas carries a lot of negative ethical implications. Businesses that export e-scrap are often making a profit off the way developing countries mishandle toxic and sensitive materials. Workers, many of them children, will often smash open electronics hoping to recover platinum, gold, silver and other precious metals while at the same time being exposed to lead, mercury and other toxins. The materials are then left in landfill-sized piles, leaching these toxic metals into the earth and the water tables. When businesses are discovered to be participating in these practices, often action is taken.
GPS Tracking Uncovers the Dangers in E-Scrap Recycling
One of the fastest growing waste streams in America is e-waste from the hundreds of thousands of tons of electronics we throw out. Because we consume electronics at an alarming rate, communities have been encouraged to recycle e-scrap so as to minimize the damage done to our environment and water tables. Gold, platinum, lead, mercury and other metals are released into the environment when cell phones and televisions end up in landfills. Needless to say, recycling is important. But what happens when recycling causes more damage than it was supposed to solve?
Read more: GPS Tracking Uncovers the Dangers in E-Scrap Recycling
Recycling Organizations Head to Congress
It came as a real blow for many recycling organizations and other waste management companies when the Environmental Protection Agency suffered massive blows to its budget, particularly to its Waste Minimization and Recycling program, set to be cut under the proposed Trump administration budget. Ultimately, the thrust of the changes for the EPA are about putting responsibilities back to the states and local communities while the federal agency is to focus on “core environmental work,” as defined in the official proposal. Now it is up to environmental agencies to lobby Congress to reconsider how the proposed changes will affect the nation.