Top Reasons You Don’t Want E-Waste to End Up in a Landfill

Sure, the environment is a top priority. Maybe you watch your cleaning products, have reduced your carbon footprint with a more efficient car and have taken other measures to do your part for the environment. Properly managing our e-waste, though, usually doesn’t make the short list of best practices for the environment. But here are some other (perhaps surprising) reasons you should take the extra steps to ensure your technology does not end up in a landfill.

The Donation Equation

Remember, donation isn’t always a solution. Only a few short years ago in 2009, thrown out television sets, computers, screens, scanners and fax machines, mice, keyboards, cell phones and the like totaled approximately 2.37 million short tons. Shocked? Before you decide those things should simply have been donated to Goodwill, consider that many establishments will not accept older television sets, even for free, simply because the new technology has eclipsed the company’s ability to resell or even give away the item. So what to do with that old and unwanted – but not flat screened – TV? Recycle it properly.

The Real Impact of E-Waste

E-waste seems like a small problem, but it has a serious impact. While it is true that our technology trash represents only about 2% of trash in landfills, it actually equals a whopping 70% of overall toxic waste. Only a little over 12% of this waste is recycled. In fact, this is the fastest growing stream of waste in the country, with deadly implications for our communities.

What is E-Waste?

E-waste isn’t particularly “waste” at all. Many of the things that are thrown away are fully functioning and marketable for reuse, or at the very least can be recycled in other ways for other parts or material recovery. A good 25% of what we throw away isn’t actually trash at all.

There is a human cost. Some of the most shocking pictures of global waste really put into perspective what we have the luxury of not having to look at on a daily basis. Much of our technology trash ends up in developing countries – sold there, in fact – for access to its metals. Inside these items are copper, silver, gold and other precious metals that are worth a fortune. Unfortunately, the methods used to get these metals out of the product are dangerous at best and damaging at worst. Workers without any safety oversight break apart these items, sometimes handling the materials with bare hands and predictable consequences.

E-Waste Removal

Keeping your e-waste out of a landfill has important global, political and environmental consequences.