The National Safety Council estimates 250 million computers become obsolete within five years and 130 million cell phones are replaced yearly. Add in the influx of analog televisions that cannot pick up the new digital signals and there is suddenly an incredible amount of electronic waste accumulating in closets, attics, and garages. How do people get rid of these items? Can they be to
ssed out with the household trash or is there a better way?
E-waste: Recycling electronics reduces hazardous waste in the environment
Electronics contain many hazardous materials and heavy metals. For instance, a television or CRT computer monitor contains an average of four pounds of lead, which is known for causing permanent learning and behavior disorders in children and serious health problems in people of all ages.
Other common toxic materials found in electronics include:
* Mercury - causes irreversible brain, liver, and kidney damage
* Cadmium - can cause cancer, kidney damage, emphysema, bone disease (such as osteoporosis), central nervous system damage, immune system damage, and infertility.
* Hexavalent chromium - a respiratory tract irritant and known human carcinogen
* Plus Several other unsafe Chemicals & CFC's.
Tossing electronics in with the trash means these and other toxic materials end up in landfills, where they eventually leach into ground water and spread to local waterways and into the air. Recycling electronics keeps these harmful materials out of the environment and protects the health of the community.
E-waste: Recycling electronics to reclaim reusable resources
Electronics contain precious metals (copper, gold) and reusable resources (plastic, steel, glass) that can be reclaimed for future use. According to the EPA, 100 million cell phones contain up to 7,500 pounds of gold and one metric ton of circuit boards contains between 40 to 800 times the amount of gold ore and 30 to 40 times the amount of copper ore mined in the US.
In addition to reducing the amount of raw materials that must be pulled from the Earth, reclaiming these resources cuts down on the amount of energy consumed in processing and manufacturing new products. Recycling one million laptops conserves enough energy to equal supplying 3,657 US homes with electricity for one year.