Recycle Pink

Would you believe that recycling one million laptops saves enough energy to provide electricity to 3,657 average US homes in a year? Also, one metric ton of circuit boards can contain 40 to 800 times the amount of gold and 30 to 40 times the amount of copper mined from one metric ton of ore in the U.S.!

Many electronics devices are recycled because of perceived obsolescence. This term refers to products that are still functioning and useable but are no longer in style and are therefore considered to be obsolete by consumers. Some examples include iPods or MP3 players.

End of life (EOL) products are no longer able to be used for any purpose and should go immediately to the materials recovery process. End of use (EOU) products are no longer used for the purpose in which they were purchased.

E-cycling - or electronic recycling - collects, brokers, and either repairing or disassembling anything from cell phones to stereos to copy machines. If you can plug in a device, there's probably a recycling program for you.

Did you know that nearly 2 million tons of used electronics such as computers and televisions are discarded every year? Given the speed with which new electronics hit the market, recycling those old, outdated units has become more important than ever in protecting the environment.

One component of modern electronics that it's critical to recycle is the batteries. Batteries used in electrical products almost always contain toxic substances such a mercury, lead, and cadmium, which threaten both public health and the environment.

A recent study by the EPA shows that electronics make up 1-2% of the municipal solid waste stream. While this may seem like a small percentage, it is rapidly growing, and many people don't realize that electronic waste is considered hazardous.

Auto battery recycling is a very important part of electronic waste recycling. These contain lead plates that are immersed in an acidic electrolyte solution. If not disposed of properly, they are very hazardous and can cause serious pollution.

Recycling your electronics means your old equipment is broken down into its most basic parts and the reusable materials are recovered for reuse in other products or repairs. This includes computer processors, data drives and even power cords.

Did you know that it's believed that consumer electronics are responsible for up to 40 percent of the lead that is currently found in landfills? This translates to a public health problem, as lead exposure can cause damage to the central and peripheral nervous systems, blood systems, and kidneys in humans.

On the whole, electronics recycling is a very efficient process. In fact, it's estimated that between 90 and 99 percent of the materials from electronics can either be recycled or reused in various industries.

Cell phones contain a number of different metals that can be used by many different industries. Jewelry manufacturers, automotive manufacturers, and art foundries can benefit from recovered gold, silver, platinum, palladium, copper, tin, and zinc.

Cell phones and other electronic items contain high amounts of precious metals, like gold and silver. It may surprise you to find that Americans dump hones containing over $60 million in gold and silver every year!