On this Earth Day, I thought it would be important to remember that little, spinning blue marble in space that we call home. Being in the computer industry, I know the waste and damage that can be done to the planet when electronics are not properly disposed of and recycled. Electronic garbage, called E-Waste, is a growing problem not just here but world-wide.
The United States is the largest producer of E-Waste in the world. It is estimated we throw away over 9 million tons annually. According to the EPA, only about 12% of it is recycled. It is estimated that about 90% of electronics can be recycled. This will allow valuable materials to be reused and dangerous materials prevented from leaching into ground water. Remember those old-style CRT monitors before the flat screens came along? Well, they contained on average 4-8 pounds of lead.
That much lead leaching into the ground water can be an ecological nightmare. That also does not take into account the other dangerous chemicals that can be found in there, like cadmium or arsenic. All three of these are dangerous neurotoxins that can cause plenty of damage to individuals if they are exposed to it.
When was the last time you got a new cell phone? What did you do with the old one? In 2010, we were throwing out over 152 million cell phones every year. In fact, there are more cell phones in existence right now then there are people on the planet (over 7.2 billion as of 2018). If 100% of all electronics were recycled, then it is estimated that it would save those industries over $12 billion annually. If we could reduce the costs that much, maybe the next iPhone would not cost $1000.
How do you recycle E-Waste? Well, taking it to a reputable recycling location would be the preferred method. Check out http://www.e-stewards.org/find-a-recycler for a list in your area. Think it is not worth the effort or just don’t have time? Give us a call. We will pick up any E-Waste you have and recycle it for you. It is a little service we can do for the community that helps in a big way.
On this Earth Day, I thought it would be important to remember