San Diego Looks for Socially Responsible Answer to E-Waste

E-waste is the fastest growing stream of trash our country has to deal with, and San Diego is not exempt from this trend. All our used cell phones and dead printers and cracked-screen iPads are finding their way into local landfills at astonishing rates – rates that clearly cannot be sustained. Many are looking to electronics recycling. San Diego residents are ensuring it’s making a big comeback, and not a moment too soon. There have to be socially responsible answers to e-waste, and as it turns out, there are several right answers.

Repurposing E-Waste

Repurposing or donating items has always been an option, but never before has there been such a need to do so. A full quarter of all electronics dumped in the trash are not broken and could be reused or resold. Providing other opportunities to community members is a very socially responsible answer to 25% of our e-waste.

Demanufacturing Electronics

Demanufacturing, or breaking the electronic item down, is another socially responsible move to make, but it is important to do so in a safe way. Certified recyclers can take these products apart, reuse any metals or components that can be made into new things, and safely destroy the rest of the product. Choosing a noncertified recycler is nearly a guarantee that the product will be traded to a waste exporter and end up in a third world landfill.

Electronic Recycling in San Diego

Electronics recycling in San Diego has gone through intensive soul searching. A few years ago, this community put together lots of events designed to allow people to turn in their old electronics instead of pitching them into a landfill. Those events caught on like wildfire, and soon lots of organizations were holding these events. Unfortunately back then we weren’t always aware of what actually happened to those products turned in. Some of the competition that took in these electronics weren’t always reputable. In some instances, the scraps were sold off to the highest bidder and not always dismantled appropriately.

A final factor is getting the business sector on board. Businesses upgrade technology at much faster rates than the average population, but they also have different security needs. Hard drives need to be wiped, sensitive data needs to be protected and other issues sometimes prevent businesses from being able to recycle their e-waste – or so they may worry. But with a certified recycler in place who understands the need to remove important and sensitive data, this will solve some of the issues of sustainability and confidentiality.