It’s getting a bit run down and you need to have a newer model.
You want more power for all you have to do online.
The battery gave out on you for the last time and you’re fed up.
Recycling Your Laptop
Once you find the ideal new laptop and bring it home, you will be stuck with two laptops on your hands. That’s a waste of space, which is probably hard to come by due to all your other clutter. Well, the answer to your problem is laptop recycling. Nowadays, laptops are an essential part of our daily lives. Whether it’s running a business or attending to personal matters at home, laptops have become a necessity. With a new generation coming to light every few years and featuring any number of improvements to weight, power, etc., it’s easy to succumb and buy a new one regularly. Most consumers don’t realize that electronics recycling has such great importance, but it does.
Why Recycle Your Laptop?
Some really good reasons you probably don’t know about are the EPA states that the recycling of 1 million laptops can save an amount of power equal to the energy used by over 3,500 U.S homes in one year. Electronics have recyclable parts that can go into new products. Electronics can have toxic materials that will cause damage to the environment they are simply placed in a landfill for disposal.
Clearing Information From a Laptop Before Recycling
Before you can even think about how to recycle your laptop, you should be aware of how to clear all sensitive information from it. Think about it. Certain things we do online concern our confidential data like our driver’s license, bank account, and social security number. We also use a username and password for many of our online accounts.
So you must be certain that all of your personal data moves over to your new laptop and off of the old one before recycling.
Wiping a Laptop For Recycling
Backup — Cloud services and an external hard drive will allow you to move all necessary data to your new laptop.
De-Authorize — iTunes and Adobe are two examples of applications that limit how many devices can access them. You must deauthorize your old device on these apps prior to recycling. If not, you may find that you cannot access them on your new laptop.
Clean and Reset — Use software that meets the DOD standard to wipe the old hard drive clean. Windows and Apple have reset and restore directions to help you.
Now go ahead and recycle.
Why It’s Important to Recycle Computer Monitors
Right now there isn’t really anyone definition of electronic waste. It’s a general term that covers consumer and business electronic devices that have put simply outlived their usefulness. Electronics recycling is a matter of returning items to their original state, or in other words, reducing them to raw material. All electronic items that require recycling a put through a testing phase to identify any components that are able to be reused. Unless you are an expert, you don’t realize how many toxic components there can be to electronic waste.
If you need to recycle a cathode ray tube (CRT) monitor, you should know that it has four to eight pounds of lead. Also, if your screen is a liquid-crystal display (LCD) screen, it’s backlit by small fluorescent bulbs that have mercury inside them. These are both toxic metals that must stay inside the monitor. That’s why it’s so important to do monitor recycling. Because these monitors need to be kept out of landfills. However, be careful when recycling them. You will have to take them somewhere to be recycled because your curbside recycling program will most likely not accept them for recycling.
Where to Recycle Laptop Computers
Now it’s time to dispose of your computer by doing Ewaste recycling. So where do you take your laptop computer to recycle it? You need to take your laptop to a well-known recycling company with a solid reputation. One that concentrates on correct dismantling or reuse. It might not be easy to find a recycling company or center near where you live. However, nowadays, most neighborhoods have one nearby. Just do some online research to find out where the nearest one is.
Ah, the holidays. They’re so magical. Lights everywhere, carol singers, and the general sense of peace. But it also means a lot of waste. You can recycle holiday decorations by understanding what the material is, and disposing of it in its rightful bin in your area. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Landfills are too full anyway, take these genius recycling ideas into consideration before you turn to our general trash.
Here is a list of what we are going to recycle today metaphorically:
• Why is recycling important •Recycling through donation • Reclaiming the gift of gift wrapping • Letting go of Inflatable Decorations • Your Christmas tree should be buried • Wreaths & Garlands can be recycled, too! • Greeting Cards, because e-cards are the future • Bulb Ornaments can and should be recovered • Recycle old and burnt out lights in your life with Christmas light recycling • Outdoor decoration should not be released in the outdoors, they should be recycled.
But before we get into holiday decorations recycling, lets dive into why we should recycle, so that we are all on the same page.
Why is recycling important
Recycling helps protect the environment. It reduces the needs for extracting refining a processing aw materials which create air and water pollution. A fine example of the importance of recycling is plastic straws and turtles.
The beautiful sea creatures are being victimized by the lack of recycling plastic straws. As such many places have banned plastic straws, and are sticking to the paper or metallic ones.
When we recycle, materials are made into new amazing products and relinquishes the need for more landfills. This, in turn, reduces the emission of methane, a greenhouse gas.
Recycling also saves energy. Using recycled materials uses less energy than producing new goods from raw materials. Building products from scratch take time and energy. If you already have part of the foundation present, it helps the mechanics of a new product.
Another reason recycling is important is to conserve natural resources. Materials found in nature are made into new products through an arduous cycle, that itself is likely to cause pollution. But that’s not where the story ends. In order to attain these natural resources, natural habitats are being destroyed. This isn’t only disastrous in terms of the greenhouse effect, animals are also losing their well-deserved homes.
Recycling through Donation
So you might want to do some Christmas light recycling, or using the most of your Christmas tree – and that’s amazing. But firstly, let us consider if anyone can use or wants the holiday decorations that you already have. Recycling is second best to reuse. So go through your local thrift shop, and your neighbors to see if anyone wants your used goods.
You can also simply donate it to children’s charities, old folks homes or orphanages. Bringing joy to communities different of your own, or people in need is a great way to say thank you to the universe and encourage others to give back, also.
Recycling the gift of Gift Wrap
Ok, even though gift wrap might not qualify as a holiday decoration, it’s on the gifts. And they’re under the tree. It’s a sort of holiday decoration that’s there every year, so we should deal with it. It all ends in the trash, but you can save and reuse it for another gift. There is also a possibility to go to a recycling center. Shredded paper can become pet bedding, packaging material or a part of your composting bin.
Letting go of Inflatable Decorations
Inflatable decorations are typically made out of Nylon, this is not recyclable in the traditional sense. But fabrics can be recycled through textile recycling organizations. Keep in mind that many inflatable decorations have electronic parts. These can and should be recycled accordingly to their compositions.
Your Christmas tree should be buried.
Instead of leaving your Christmas tree on the street like an orphan, you have the possibility to recycle your very own Christmas tree. The wood from your Christmas tree can become a table or a toy! The circle is complete!
You can even recycle a part of it yourself. Use the twigs and needles to decompose in your garden. Said natural decorations can find another purpose than being in landfills.
Wreaths & Garlands can be recycled, too!
Avoid throwing festive décor in the trash like wreaths and garlands. There are so many ways to give it life again. Strip the ornaments off of your wreaths and garlands before you start doing anything. Keep your decorations in a safe place, and wrap them in a newspaper or something of the like.
Its easier than Christmas light recycling, that’s for sure. Alternatively, allow your wreaths and garlands to recycle naturally in nature. It’s a great way to give back to what you have taken. This is however only suitable if this is something you have experienced before. In the event that you have not recycled back into the forest, ask a friend who has. The more information, the better your outcomes are!
Greeting Cards, because e-cards are the future
Greeting cards are mostly paper and moving pictures – all wrapped into one. The good news is that you can recycle all of these elements. Greeting cards can really stack up on your fridge. Reuse your cards that are too nice to recover. There are recycle card programs that can take your greetings, and create something new and beautiful.
If you’re not too into letting other people recycling beautiful cards, do it yourself! For next years holiday, leave Christmas recycling lights to your significant other, and spend time re-making your Christmas cards out of old ones. It’s a great crafts hobby that can give you real Christmas card street cred.
Other than that you can also make décor with your old greeting cards such as a holiday garland. When it comes to holiday decorations, the sky’s the limit!
Bulb Ornaments can and should be recycled.
We all have ugly ornaments. Be it missing a hook or general degradation of the bulb ornament – we all have them. But there is an excellent method to recycle them, too! You can do a DIY project from Pinterest to help reuse old ornaments. It might become a gift or a completely different and innovative decoration. The bottom line is that the bulb ornaments stay out of landfills. Next, let’s move on to Christmas light recycling!
Recycle old and burnt out lights in your life with Christmas light recycling
Your beautifully decorated tree is sure to be filed with the most divine twinkly lights and sparking emotions. But lights come and go like the seasons. Not too reliable. Getting into Christmas light recycling isn’t all that difficult.
If one of the light strands peaks and interest due to its lack of light, don’t’ throw it in the trash. Head on over a hardware store and let them install new bulbs and LED lights. It’s never been this easy to get into Christmas light recycling.
These lights can use less energy and las for much longer. As much you are reducing your electricity bill, as well.
Furthermore, lights strings are mostly made out of plastic, copper, and glass. There are sure to be recycling bins in your area that cater to all of these different materials.
Do keep in mind that you can always do Christmas lights recycling for the purpose of arts and rafts. Attach the lights to a wreath and paint it in winter colors for a delightfully perfect Christmas decoration.
Outdoor decoration should not be released in the outdoors, they should be recycled.
Outdoor decorations such as reindeer, Santa clauses, etc., they’re usually made out of plastic. Disposing plastic decorations is a lot easier than Christmas light recycling. They have a handy number on the bottom of the products letting you know which sort of plastic the outdoor decoration is made out of. But many decorations are a mix of plastic. This makes it rather challenging to dispose of.
A great way to get rid of your decorations is by selling or donating them to secondhand stores or people who are merely interested in your décor. Do repair them before you donate. Otherwise, chances are that they will end up in a landfill.
When recycling the goods, remove and recycle the electronic components and batteries to ensure that the right means are taken.
Let’s save the environment!
We only get one chance on this earth, so let’s make the most of it and take care of it and one another. It’s as easy as Christmas light recycling and ensuring that you don’t use too much plastic in your daily life. If anything, remember to not use plastic straws and to keep a metallic recyclable water bottle with you at all times! Let’s move towards a happier and healthier world, together. It’s not too late to get cracking on the environment!
So before you throw everything out, consider Christmas lights recycling, greeting card recycling, and making an amazing handcrafted toy out of your Christmas tree wood. It’s not only a thoughtful gift to a special someone, but it’s also a thoughtful process to recycle. It is like a gift to the earth.
As long as you have a car you will always find yourself having an extra tire, car jack, jumpstart wires batteries and all sorts of car paraphernalia in your home garage or even back yard.
Over time of car ownership, you might find yourself owning more car parts than you need or expect. This may constraint you space wise but throwing them out just like that is mostly a bad idea.
Most car parts do not quickly disintegrate since a good number of them are made of plastic or rubber. The good thing is these parts can easily be recycled or reused. Making them more valuable than being thrown out.
As much as people are encouraged to take them to be recycled, reusing them is better. Recycling them may be environmentally friendly but a lot of energy and time is used to convert them into usable materials. Re-using them saves a lot of money and time in the long run.
Do you have spare car tires or batteries you are not using that you want to dispose of? Do you want some ideas on how to do it safely without harming the environment? Well, you are at the right place.
In this article, we are going to state and explain to you briefly some environmentally friendly ways you can recycle and re-use them. All of the above tips have been adopted by many people around. Here they are.
Give them up to a reputable recycling company.
The best and the most inexpensive way of recycling tires and car batteries is by giving them to a reputable recycling company. These companies have the necessary tools and skills to recycle them safely. Because they are made of different raw materials, both the tires and batteries are recycled differently.
Tires are mostly burned, but that has proved to cause more harm to the environment. To avoid destroying the environment, the tires are shredded into smaller pieces, melted and then used to make new tires. Not only does this save the environment but also save on a lot of costs.
A large part of the car battery can be recycled. Car batteries are broken apart and most parts removed to be recycled. The plastic and metal part that makes up the car batteries removed to be melted and used to make new car batteries or other things. Some of these companies accept them for free or pay you for them.
Make a beautiful garden using the old tires as planting pots.
Tires have been known to make very effective planting pots. Their durable nature makes them good planting pots. You can plant in tires almost anything, from flowers to vegetables of your choice. Even with little space, tires can convert nothing to something.
Due to the harsh economic and drastic change in weather patterns, ideas on how to save money and the environment are welcomed. With a tire filled with fertile soil, you can now grow enough food for yourself and family even on a small apartment balcony.
Tires are portable allowing you to move with your garden even when you move out of your house. Apart from vegetables, tires can also be used to grow flowers. Instead of using a lot of cash on buying expensive flower pots, you use your creativity and design a flower pot using a tire. They are more durable and can be used in a number of ways, unlike clay planting pots which break easily.
Refurbish the car battery and use it when there is a power shortage.
Does your area experience frequent power cuts? A refurbished battery can create enough electricity to power a TV, a few bulbs or even charge a mobile phone. As much as it may make you sound paranoid, having a backup plan is always wise.
In the current day and age, lengthy electric blackouts could mean life or death. Having a car battery that works could help reduce risks that come with an outage. To ensure that your battery is always charged you can connect the battery to a solar panel. That saves you a lot of costs and allows you to stay online longer without electricity.
Besides using the battery to power your home, you will never know when your other car battery will fail you. Having your old refurbished battery can save you when least expected.
Sell your old battery.
Instead of throwing away your car battery did you know that you can get money from it? Regardless of its condition, there is someone who would buy it. One of the first places you can visit an auto spare parts dealer near you. Batteries are always on demand. However, if you want to get more cash from the battery ensure that the battery is in good working condition. Apart from an auto spare parts dealer, you can also sell your car battery online. You can sell almost anything on online platforms such as eBay or even craigslist. Here you can get offers from people who want the battery. If that does work for you, you can always go the old school way and hold a garage sale. The scrap yard is another place where you can sell your battery. 80% 0f a car battery contains materials that can be recycled. Unless the battery is not working the scrap yard should be the last place you take your battery. You are more likely to sell the battery at a lower price here.
Make household decorations using unusable tires and spoilt batteries.
One of the cheapest and environmentally friendly ways of disposing of tires and car batteries is by reusing them. Materials that make up a battery or a tire are non-biodegradable. Continuously throwing away of car tires and batteries is not manageable.
The best and the most environmentally friendly way is to recycle them or reusing them. Making decorations out of them is a good way of adding value to them. Using your imagination, you can make ornaments such as a back yard table and chairs using both tires and batteries.
Most of the household decorations made out of them are durable and do not get spoilt faster. Making them is simple, and you would not need a lot of expensive raw materials. If you do not know how to make them, you can hire someone with such skills to make you something of your choice.
Some manufacturers can sell you a new tire or car battery when you return their products for recycling.
Because they know the danger their products pose to the environment when they are not properly recycled. Manufacturers are now accepting their old and used products for money, or you are allowed to buy a newer one at a discount.
This not only cuts your costs but also those of the manufacturer. Because it is expensive to get new rubbers to make new tires or even a car battery raw materials recycling them save a lot of time and money. Regardless of the condition, it is a guarantee that manufacturers will accept them.
Retread the tires and continue using them.
Each tire should always be replaced after doing 30000 to 50000 miles. This is done to reduce the risks of accidents and also improve a car’s appearance. As much as some tires may look worn out retreading them can always breathe some life into them. Even though there are a lot of myths that surround retreaded tires, they are just as effective as a new tire.
Retreaded tires are just as safe and durable as new tires. Before you get to use retreaded tires, they do undergo similar tests that new tires undergo before you are allowed to use them. Apart from doing your part in conserving the environment, you get to save on a lot of costs.
Instead of throwing away the tires you can always go and have them retreaded so that you can reuse them instead of buying new ones.
In conclusion.
There are thousands of ways you can recycle and reuse an old car battery or tire. Above we have named some few ways of recycling and reusing them instead of throwing them out.
A good number of the above tips are simple and you would not need any special equipment. You can use such moments to bond with your family and gather ideas from them on how to reuse the old tires and batteries.
Reusing an old tire or car battery would require you to be very creative. To get some inspiration you can go online and check other peoples ideas and adopt them. If you find your self not being creative enough, you can hire someone to help you make things out of the old tires and batteries.
That our planet is facing the serious danger of environmental pollution is not an exaggerated statement. In fact, the dangers of this pollution have already started staring us on our face. Several types of diseases that are triggered by such pollution have already begun to affect people. Researchers are concerned about the negative impact and dangers that can be caused by free radicals that keep getting stronger and stronger due to environmental pollution.
Electronic gadgets have added a new dimension to this problem of environmental pollution. It has been found that if old gadgets are not disposed of wisely, they can cause serious harm to the environment. In other words, that electronic waste or e-waste is polluting the environment unimaginably is a bitter truth we all should accept and should be ready to tackle. In fact, the damage that can be caused by the chemicals that are released by such e-waste into the eco-system can pose a very serious threat to our planet. That is the reason every one of us is advised to be careful while disposing of our old electronic gadgets such as laptops, computers, and of course, our mobile phones.
To save our planer from such e-waste, researchers have come out with the concept of recycling the waste. Let us now find out how we can recycle a cell phone.
It is better to rely on official recycling programs.
Instead of throwing your old phones into the garbage or landfills, it is better to rely on official recycling programs that adopt wise ways to recycle the e-waste. Remember that the waste in electronic gadgets like your cell phones is not like regular trash. It contains dangerous chemicals. But before you utilize these official recycling programs and hand over your old cell phones, you should ensure that the phones do not contain any of your personal information. This suggestion is made to safeguard you from the possible hassles that may arise due to making available your personal details to evil-minded folks with nefarious intentions who are out there. In short, this suggestion is for ensuring your safety and security.
The big names in the cell phone industry have their own recycling programs.
The good news is that almost all the big players in the cell phone industry have put in place their own recycling programs. For example, if you have an old iPhone, you can visit the nearest store that deals with Apple products and hands over the device by providing all the details they require. They will take the process further to ensure that your old iPhone is recycled suitably that it will not cause any damage to the environment. It appears that Apple has put in place a scheme of giving gift cards, etc. to their customers because they aim to encourage such customers to opt for their recycling programs. These gift cards can be used for making a purchase of new Apple items.
Similarly, Samsung has also come out with a program that they have named as Take-Back program using which you can surrender your old Samsung mobile phones for being recycled. Likewise, LG has set up a number of drop-off points for dropping your old LG devices so they will collect them and send them for recycling. HTC of the US has gone a step further and they accept old mobile devices of any brand for recycling.
Dell is another company that keenly follows ethical ways for helping people dispose of their old electronic gadgets for recycling. They have put up recycling bins in various places so customers like you can deposit old gadgets like cell phones in the bins.
What if you do not want to send your old mobile phones to the original company?
Best Buy
If you do not want to send your old devices to the original company, you can make use of the services of companies like Best Buy that has hundreds of stores all over the U.S. The company has put in place an ethical program using which they will ensure to dispose your old cell phones in the right manner. You need not come to the conclusion that Best Buy will help you in disposing of only your old mobile devices. The fact is that their program will help in disposing of all types of electronic gadgets because their aim is to recycle them in the most ethical manner. Simply put, they do not want the environment to be polluted by the chemicals that are likely to be released from your old electronic devices, regardless of what they are.
Eco-Cell
Eco-Cell is another recycling company that takes care of e-waste recycling. The company is Kentucky-based.
Staples
Staples is another company that has put in place a comprehensive recycling program for helping customers like you in their efforts to dispose of their old mobile phones. Their program is an improvised one in the sense that if your old cell phone is in working condition, despite the fact that you are trying to send it for recycling, they will provide you with what is known as Staples credit that you can use for any other purpose you choose. You can send your old cell phone through mail or you can drop it at any of their stores.
Are there other cell phone makers or carriers who can help you in your recycling efforts?
Yes. You have carriers such as AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, and Sprint that can help you with their recycling programs. You can visit their stores and hand over your old devices. As Staples is offering a scheme, these companies have also put in place trade-in value schemes using which you can buy new items.
Donating to charity is another great option.
If you have old cell phones, you can donate them to charity also. If the cell phones are in working condition, you can hand them over to charity organizations in the same condition. Even if there are small repairs, you can get them done and hand them over to those organizations for the benefit of those who may need them.
There are websites such as Recycling for charities, phones4charity, Americancellphonedrive.org, and so on. You can mail your phones to them and get the proceeds from them. You can give the proceeds as well to these charity organizations.
There are a few other organizations such as National Coalition against Domestic Violence, Hope Phones that is also called Medic Mobiles, and Cell Phones for Soldiers that can help you in your charity efforts.
Are there official and state-sponsored recycling programs?
Yes. Many of the states in the U.S. have put in place their own sponsored programs for helping people in their efforts to recycle their old mobile phones. For example, in New York state, every cell phone store has to accept old cell phones that are handed over to them for recycling purposes. The same rule has been introduced in California as well.
Washington state has gone a step further and they have set up an official scheme for e-cycling e-waste like your old cell phones. You have to visit the relevant site on the web and give the details of your zip code. You will get all the information pertaining to how and where you should mail your old devices like the cell phones. Illinois has provided a list of recyclers that they have approved officially for the benefit of customers like you.
Automated kiosks.
Thanks to the advancements in the technology, you now have automated kiosks as well. For example, EcoATM has set up automated kiosks for collecting your unwanted and old cell phones, tablets, etc. You will get cash for the gadgets you deposit in the kiosks.
Other companies that can help you in your recycling efforts.
Chicago Shredder Company.
Chicago Shredder Company is into various types of businesses that include mobile banking, loans, etc. But they help in securing e-waste, and data as well. According to them, they have one-stop recycling buttons for helping customers like you to dispose of your old electronic gadgets. Apart from cell phones, they will help in recycling toners, lamps, and batteries as well. They offer pick-up services using which you can call them to your place for picking up your old electronic gadgets. You have drop options also which means you have to visit their drop-points and drop your old cell phones or other gadgets you do not want any more.
They conduct events as well for encouraging judicious disposal of e-waste. This means that in the events they undertake to conduct, they will ensure that the waste that gets generated is disposed of judiciously. In other words, they will send the waste generated in the events for recycling.
Such initiatives go a long way in educating people about the importance of disposing of their old electronic gadgets in a safe and wise manner. This is very important because there are a number of people who still do not know how dangerous it can be if they ignore the importance of recycling their old electronic gadgets that include cell phones. These ignorant folks should understand the fact that if they casually throw their old and useless gadgets like cell phones into the garbage or land-fills, the chemicals released by these gadgets can severely pollute the environment, thus causing harm to the whole of humanity. In this context, the initiatives taken by companies like Chicago Shredder is certainly commendable.
AVA Recycling.
Similar to Chicago Shredder Company, AVA Recycling has also put in place pick-up facilities for collecting old electronic gadgets like the cell phones. You have to just intimate to them that you have old gadgets with you and that you do not want to dispose them of in the traditional ways. Once they come to know that you are eager to send the devices for recycling, they will arrange to send their vehicles and personnel to pick up your old gadgets.
Of course, they have set up drop points as well. You have to visit those places and drop whatever electronic devices you want to recycle.
They have also put up large bins as well as smaller ones in various places for helping customers like you to drop off your old gadgets of large size as well as smaller devices like the cell phones.
Like Chicago Shredder Company, AVA Recycling also conducts events in which they ensure to dispose of the waste generated in such a manner that it will not pollute the environment. This means that they will send the waste that is bound to get generated in such events is sent for recycling.
MicroAnt.
MicroAnt is another company that has been started with the noble intention of disposing of unwanted electronic devices in a proper manner so they do not cause any type of harm to the environment. That is why the company has put in place appropriate processes by which you can request them to visit your place and pick up your electronic waste. They help customers have services such as data destruction also.
The company is having a blog as well on their website. They ensure to put up regular posts on the blog. The intention is to educate the general public about the importance of disposing of electronic waste in a wise manner. This means that the company is eager that every individual should have social conscience and ensure that the e-waste they generate is recycled in the right manner.
E-Scrap.
E-Scrap is yet another company that offers e-waste solutions of high quality. Apart from offering e-data destruction services and other services related to it, the company is offering electronic recycling services as well. According to the company, they possess comprehensive knowledge that can help their clients in simplifying their waste disposal compliance process.
They offer e-waste solutions that suit the needs of clients in various fields. In fact, they have a number of clients from industries such as telecommunications, insurance, data centers, health care, municipal offices, financial and banking, and so on. Even residents and government departments can utilize their e-cycling solutions and benefit immensely.
Like MicroAnt, e-Scrap is also having a blog on their website. They regularly put up posts on the blog for educating people about the importance of disposing of electronic waste in the right manner. Their posts talk about the importance as well as the efficacy of e-waste recycling and hence, their initiative is certain to positively impact the way how people perceive the issue of environmental pollution that is caused by e-waste.
A few points to remember.
1. You have to reduce e-waste to the maximum extent possible. Remember that even small initiatives will go a long way in creating a positive impact. For example, if you find that an electronic device like a cell phone that is no more of use is there in your house, you should immediately ensure to dispose it of by mailing it to a recycling company or dropping it at any of their drop-points. You should advise your friends and relatives also to take such initiatives. Such joint efforts will create a big positive impact and will certainly reduce the damages that may be caused by e-waste pollution.
2. Stores that deal with electronic gadgets and devices should also become conscious of the serious problem e-waste pollution can inflict on our environment. Therefore, they should also take all appropriate steps for reducing the e-waste generated in their shops. Though they cannot completely avoid generation of such waste, they can take the right step of disposing the waste of in the right manner. In other words, they can send the e-waste to the recycling companies for getting them recycled.
3. Big companies should play a bigger role in reducing the impact of environmental pollution that may be caused by the e-waste that is generated in their organizations. In fact, e-waste generation in such big companies may be huge. Hence, they should regularly review the situation and ensure to send the e-waste to the recycling companies.
Another good idea is to have a tie-up with an e-waste recycling company so the company will visit these big offices at regular intervals, collect all the e-waste that may have got accumulated and send it for recycling.
4. Handing over old cell phones to charity organizations is a great idea. But the phones you are providing them with should be in working condition. Even if there are minor repairs, you should ensure to get them rectified before handing them over to these organizations. Of course, there are chances of you getting some proceeds out of this. You can donate these proceeds as well to the charity organizations.
5. Cellphones for soldiers is an organization that collects all the old cell phones for providing soldiers with them. Soldiers who are away from their families and who discharge their duties in harsh conditions deserve all your love and attention. If your old phone will be of some use to a soldier, you should feel immensely happy about it.
To summarize, people should become more socially conscious. Though getting their personal needs fulfilled is not a sin, they should learn to think beyond it. As members of communities and societies, it is the responsibility of everyone of us to ensure that the environment we live in is clean and free mainly from free radicals. A lot of research has gone into the negative impact as well as the harms that can be caused by free radicals. It is the environmental pollution that makes these free radicals strong so they inflict severe damage to the health of people.
The chemicals that get released out of improperly disposed of electronic gadgets including our old mobile phones can cause a severe impact on the environment. That is the reason you are advised to refrain from throwing your old cell phones or other electronic gadgets into dust bins, garbage, or landfills. In fact, it has been found that the groundwater beneath the landfills that have such electronic waste in them is not fit for use. Even plants that grow in such areas do not survive for long.
In other words, if you ensure to dispose of your old electronic gadgets like cell phones in the right manner, you can prevent such dangerous things from occurring. The only way to dispose of such old gadgets is to get them recycled.
There is an umpteen number of options available for you and these options include the simplest ones as well. Can you not call a recycling company and request them to pick your old cell phone? In fact, people are wasting or squandering their time on a number of unnecessary things. If they spend a fraction of their time for attending to such socially responsible causes, they will benefit and they will help others benefit as well.
In fact, you are not asked to do big things to prove that you are a socially responsible person. Not only that, the suggestions made here are only for your own benefit. Remember that it is a question of survival and healthy living. We all know that cell phone towers and the waves that emanate from them are responsible for the extinction of small birds like sparrows, etc. Such a fate should not befall on humanity. The only way to escape from such a colossal danger is to be judicious in our ways. One of the ways is to get our old electronic gadgets disposed of in the right manner. This means that getting this e-waste recycled is the only option available to us. It is the only option that will help us lead a healthy life.
How to recycle electronics and computers securely and affordable
E-waste is growing rapidly, due to which there comes a need to tell people about effective recycling programs for electronics. People are trying to get more information about how to recycle their electronic waste effectively and securely that can be affordable too for them. People are trying to search for information on TVs or through internet sources to know about the best things that they can do. The major recycling processes that they want to know are computer recycling, TV recycling and other similar materials that they want to get rid of with minimizing the risks of identity or information theft. With the arrival of a lot of new and cheap devices in the electronics industry is becoming the major reason of E-waste, it is because people prefer to buy a new device instead of repairing the old ones. According to a search report, approximately 75% of electronics has been started to be restored in houses because of the unapproachability of proper recycling options for e-waste. This issue is getting increased attention from the side of the electronics industry, consumers and policymakers. This consideration will soon bring good news for the persons who are having e-waste in their houses, and they do not know about the fact that how to dispose of the mobile phones, old computers, and other electronic devices safely.
Things to understand
So, the things will be started from understanding that what you can consider as e-waste? Whenever you are going to think about recycling of electronics waste, following some questions may arise in your mind about this. So, this is the time when you can understand all these facts and clear all your doubts about electronic waste easily. The questions are: 1. What do you mean by electronics waste? 2. Why is it important to recycle electronics waste? 3. How can you recycle your own electronics waste? 4. Is it better to throw your electronics waste in the trash? 5. What about data destruction that is available in your device?
What do you mean by electronics waste or e-waste? What to recycle?
Electronics waste commonly known as e-waste is the End of Life Electronics devices. These electronics scrap or electronics waste includes unusable or dated computers, televisions, stereos, mobile phones, and some other electronic equipment. Some of these items can be recycled, but, a large amount of this waste is still finding a way to the landfill. Electronics waste or e-waste is a term that refers to the products related to the electronics which has gone to the end point of its life and now not useful anymore. You can say that these are electronic devices that have become out-of-date, outmoded or wrecked. Electronics waste is a waste stream that is growing at the faster rate than other types of wastes, specifically in different areas of the United States, here we need to increase our efforts for making a more maintainable future in the country.
Why is it important to recycle electronics waste?
Electronics recycling is the best way that you can adapt to get rid of unwanted electronics devices because it can be a great way to help save resources and natural materials in a better way. All of us know the fact that electronics products are made from some important materials and resources, for example, glass, metal, and plastic. All of these valuable materials required energy for the process of mine or manufacture. So, donating or recycling electronics can help to conserve all of our natural resources, and it can help us in avoiding water and air pollution. Recycling of electronics materials is also going to help us in greenhouse gas emissions that can be caused by the process of manufacturing the virgin materials that are being used in the manufacturing of different electronics devices.
According to the estimation of the energy that you can save by recycling almost one million laptops is nearly equal to the energy that is being consumed by the 3500 houses in the United States in one year. According to another search result, every one million mobile phones that are being recycled have the ability to recover 772 pounds of silver, 35 thousand pounds of copper, 33 pounds of palladium and 75 pounds of gold. This can be the best example that can help you to know about how important it can be to recycle your electronics items for conserving the valuable natural materials and for energy too.
Following are some more things that can help you to know about why it can be important for you to recycle the electronics waste that you have in your home and thinking about to make it a part of your house trash: 1. Electronics waste can be a rich source of raw materials 2. By recycling the electronics waste, you can keep your surroundings safe from some toxic materials. 3. Movement of harmful waste from one place to another 4. Solid waste management 5. Electronics waste can be a cause of pollution
1. Electronics waste can be a rich source of raw materials
As it is a well-known fact that the electronics devices are made up with the combination of some valuable materials that you can save by recycling your dead, outdated or out mode electronics devices. According to a research report, only 5 to 10 percent of the gold from electronics waste is being recycled successfully. While the remaining 90 percent is being lost every year, which is a significant amount. And this is being lost just because people are not aware of the fact that how they can recycle or donate their electronics waste for better utilization. Electronics waste contains more precious materials too which are more than 40 to 50 percent richer than the ore being mined from the earth, according to the United Nations.
These valuable materials can be saved by giving awareness to the people about why they should recycle their electronics waste or authorities can run campaigns to tell the people about the benefits of recycling or donating the electronics waste. Awareness programs about recycling of electronics waste can help any country to conserve maximum from the valuable materials that are being used in the manufacturing of electronic devices.
2. By recycling the electronics waste, you can keep your surroundings safe from some toxic materials.
Old electronics devices are not only containing the valuables materials but some toxic elements too. As we know that there exist some poisonous elements in electronic devices such as lead, cadmium, mercury, and chromium. It is essential to ensure that these materials are going to be destroyed in a proper way and will not be added to the environment. It is because the release of these toxic materials into the environment can be harmful to the people of surroundings. There is a great possibility that the electronic waste may also contain other heavy metals or materials and some toxic chemicals too that can be harmful to humans and other livestock too. That is why it is better to destroy or recycle electronics waste in such a way that it can’t harm others.
3. Movement of harmful waste from one place to another
Uncontrolled movement of electronics waste is a common thing. Electronics waste is being moved to countries where cheap labor is available to recycle that electronics waste. But primary approaches and deficiency of sources that can be used to recycle the electronics waste are a reason for health issues to the natives of those countries. The continuous exposed release of toxin while recycling electronics waste is becoming an issue of concern to these poor areas. But recycling of electronics waste with the help of companies that are having enough sources can be a better option to perform and can save other places from being harm with the toxin materials that come from electronics waste.
4. Solid waste management
Although the growth of the electronics industry is emerging day by day, this growth is coming with the products having a shorter period of time. And this short period of a life cycle of different electronics devices is a cause of the quick growth of waste material. This solid waste material produced by electronics waste can be controlled by recycling the electronics waste efficiently.
5. Electronics waste can be a cause of pollution
Electronics waste contains many chemicals that can be dangerous for the environment. Because of this reason, it is illegal to throw away the dead, outdated or out mode electronics devices with regular garbage in different countries. In different countries all around the world, electronics waste is not being processed by certified electronics recyclers. Most of these countries do not have much awareness about the recycling of electronics waste or do not know about how they can tell their people about the health and environmental effects that can be caused by the discarded electronics waste. In such countries, improper methods to dump electronics waste are being used. People used to get valuable materials by burning electronics waste. But this burning process in the open air can be a cause of air pollution. In most of the countries, due to improper dump process of electronics waste can be a cause of chemical’s leakage into the water supplies. Due to which water supplies can become polluted which may be harmful to the people or livestock around these dumpsites.
How to Recycle your Electronics waste?
We love the devices that we use in regular routine such as TV, mobile phones, laptops, computers, etc. Although we are using these gadgets with a lot of care, still they can be expired. It is because every electronic device has an end time of its useful life and after that time every device is going to be electronics waste. What to do with this electronics waste is a big problem. According to a report by United Nations 4.47 million tons of electronic waste has discarded in the year 2016, only 20 percent of this electronic waste was disposed of in a proper way.
Everyday consumers need to do something which can reduce the footprint of their electronic waste. Many of the materials that are being used in the manufacturing of electronic devices can be recovered to reuse such as plastic, metal, and glass. It is being claimed by Apple that the company has regained 2,204 pounds of gold whose worth is approximately 40 million dollars by recycling different electronics devices in the year 2015.
In different countries, people are being hired by the authorities who know about the proper ways that can be used to recycle old electronics devices. There are a lot of safe methods that you can use to dispose of or recycle your electronics waste.
Following are some things that you can do to recycle your electronics waste easily without facing any problem: 1. Take your electronics waste to a certified recycler 2. Donate your electronics waste to help a trust 3. Bring your electronics waste to a tech company
Donate your electronics waste to help a trust
If you have an electronic device that is still in working condition but you do not want to use that anymore, then the best thing that you can do is donate that to trust. You can find many charity places out there in your town that will happily accept your old device and will reuse that. You can find these local organizations around you easily by checking which of them are receiving old electronics devices. Other than these organizations there are some other ways available that can help you to give your old electronics devices to the people who need these devices for their use. Following are some methods that you can use to donate your old electronics devices easily: 1. DELL Reconnect 2. eBay for Charity 3. World Computer Exchange Organization 4. American Cell Phone Drive Organization
DELL Reconnect
DELL Reconnect is working for Goodwill, and for this purpose, this organization accepts computers of every company and the devices that can work with a computer. According to this organization, you can drop your used and old electronics devices at the Goodwill locations near you for charity.
eBay for Charity
eBay for Charity says that you can let us sell your used and old electronics devices and any other thing that you want to donate and then you can donate all of the proceeds to the charity of your choice.
World Computer Exchange Organization
World Computer Exchange Organization is on its way to reduce the digital divide in many developing countries. World Computer Exchange Organization is promoting the reuse of electronics devices and proper recycling of unusable electronics devices. This organization is working for the providence of computers, laptops, peripherals and other electronic devices to different needy communities in the world.
American Cell Phone Drive Organization
This organization collects the used mobile phones of all brands and resell those cell phones after repairing them. American Cell Phone Drive Organization is responsible for the proper recycling of unusable mobile phones. This organization then utilize all the earning for different good purposes.
Bring your electronics waste to a tech company
Many of the manufacturing companies are providing recycling services too. You can search the programs of different tech companies who are giving the best recycling services to the users. You can search these companies by applying the product name or company name filter. Following are a few companies that are providing the option to recycle the old electronics devices to the consumers. 1. Give Back Program of Apple 2. Amazon 3. Recycling offers by Best Buy 4. Offers by Staples and Office Depot 5. Buyback program of Sprint
Give Back Program of Apple
If you are going to qualify for the recycling service of apple, you will be given a gift card of the worth $1000 or in-store credit for successfully qualifying a product at Give Back Program of Apple. If you have any electronic device that is not qualified for this program, the company will accept that too for the recycling process. And through April 30, Apple will donate for every device that was received by the company for the recycling process.
Amazon
Amazon will pay up to 200.91 dollars in the form of a gift card for qualifying any kind of used electronics device and video games or music CDs too.
Recycling offers by Best Buy
Recycling offers by Best Buy offer you to bring your old electronics devices for a proper recycling process. It does not matter where you bought that device you can bring that to Best Buy.
Offers by Staples and Office Depot
Staples and Office Depot offers a recycling program especially for their affinity members to get $2 for every printer unit, and one customer can offer ten printers in one month. Many of printer’s manufacturer have their own recycling programs too for their customers that you can check through online sources of each company such as hp, Canon and Epson.
Is it better to throw your electronics waste in the trash?
Either it is legal to throw the End of Life electronics devices in trash or not is totally dependent on the type of device and the location where you are currently living. It refers to the state rules and regulations about electronics waste. But beyond this debate, the best thing that you can do with your electronics waste is donated, recycle or resell. These three can be the best and proper options that you can use for your electronics waste. If you want to recycle your electronics waste, then it is better to contact a certified recycler for this process.
There exist some cities or states in the world that do not allow the consumers to throw their electronics waste into the trash and ask their citizens to contact recyclers for a proper and complete process of recycling for your electronics waste. This can be the best step of the policymakers to keep their land pure and pollution free. If you are thinking about to contact a recycler, then be sure that you are going to contact a certified recycler for your recycling project of electronics waste.
What about data destruction that is available in your device?
Before recycling your old computer, laptop and mobile phones be sure that you have erased all the data from your device. To delete data from your hard drive is not enough to do, the best option is to clean the hard drive of the device that you are going to donate, recycle or resell. And if you are going to hire a recycler, you can ask him too to erase your personal information and entire data from the device before recycling that to avoid security and information thrift. Another option that you can use software that can rewrite your entire hard drive. This software you can get from online resources with ease.
It is a moral duty of all of us to take part in the recycling process of electronics waste. It is because besides saving the natural resources we can keep our environment save too from toxic elements that can be harmful to us.
Chicago as Steward of Electronic Recycling Efforts in Illinois
Chicago, IL-5 January 2014. Zero waste, that is Chicago’s aim for its city. The state of Illinois does government recycling to help out its residents and encourage a greener environment which will help benefit everyone in the long run. Chicago, as part of greater Illinois, is pursuant to Illinois EPA so the initiative is state-wide and will be there for good.
City Efforts
The City of Chicago has its own Household Chemicals and Computer Recycling Facility at North Branch Street (two blocks east of the Kennedy Expressway at Division Street).
This facility is open Tuesdays, Thursdays and first Saturday of every month and they only accept wastes on those days. As hazardous residues can be found in electronic waste, citizens will be advised to not leave any dump outside of these collecting days.
Their efforts do not just solely focus on greener measures but to totally eradicate the need for landfills and instead make use of this land for other great purposes. Services include Anti-Litter Campaign which lets residents pay fines for every litter accorded to them, checking status of Sanitation Code Violation Service Request and reducing unwanted mail and phone books at home or work and a lot more.
Chicago is known for its Blue Cart Residential Recycling Program. Mayor Rahm Emanuel has even expanded it citywide last year. This encourages bi-weekly waste disposal. But since EPA does not allow IT waste to be disposed of through the normal process, the program may somehow become counter-productive. But there are private and public groups that still accept this kind of a waste since according to EPA itself, there will be as many as 250 million PCs that will be junked in the United States from the period covered by 2000 to 2005.
Reusing is one of the solutions provided by these rare companies that can be counted with your fingers. Some of them encourage reselling it to shops such as the ever famous Salvation Army and Goodwill Industries.
As Chicago has always been a faithful city, it regularly holds meet-ups and collection days where residents can dispose off their electronic materials and other hazardous household wastes free of charge. Commercial wastes are not accepted though as they may be more in bulk and needs more specialist attention like complete data destruction.
One Among the Few
Ava Recycling is one of the few companies that exert a lot of effort in the recycling, reusing and reducing electronic wastes so it never goes to any landfills within the area. Unlike the government and some other competition, they offer local pick-up services that will do the recycling for your without you leaving the comforts of your abode.
About AVA Electronics
AVA Electronics Recycling is committed to the “Reuse, Recycle, Reclaim” policy. They are the premiere Chicago Computer Electronics Recycling company. They recycle all types of electronics, metals and junk vehicles and are able to provide pick-ups for large quantities. They’re a trusted company that ensures efficiency at all times. The company is part of a global initiative to reduce typically all wastes for a much greener and cleaner environment. On top of just recycling electronic wastes for residential clients, they also conduct complete data destruction for some of the Fortune 500 companies. AVA Electronics Recycling is HIPAA, FACTA, HITECH and Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act compliant.
