The rapid turnover of new generations of computer technologies has produced a mountain of electronic waste, but recycling reduces materials that end up in landfills or incinerators. Before you recycle a computer, erase information from the hard drive to keep confidential data secure. The recycler receives the computer and breaks it down into resalable materials, watching out for lead, arsenic, mercury and other hazardous wastes. A well-run computer recycling program ensures careful dismantling of materials by people trained to do the job.
While not all computers are completely recyclable, many of the components and parts can have value and a second life away from the landfill. Recycling computers is an important green initiative, as the facts show.
Americans discard approximately 130,000 computers every day, according to CBS. News "60 Minutes." Many of those computers, like 80 percent of all e-waste, go straight into the trash, where they wind up in landfills, according t...
Environmental Protection Agency. Only 430,000 tons of that was recycled. Electronic waste, or e-waste, is made up of computers, cell phones, PDAs, small appliances and the like, and it is the fastest-growing segment of the wast...
Unfortunately, most of that equipment just goes into the trash, where the toxic materials used in their manufacture can get into the water you drink and the air you breathe. Responsible recycling can prevent that from happening.
Computer recycling can benefit your local community and the entire planet. Many local governments offer computer recycling programs to provide computers to those in need. Also check with local charities and thrift stores, many ...
Taking the time to properly deal with a computer you'd like to get rid of does a service to the global community no matter how you slice it; by properly recycling the computer, you're making sure it doesn't leak toxins into the...
The number of homes that have a computer is a sign of the development and prosperity of a nation. A country's recycling of high-tech products has also become a sign of an evolved nation. Computers are a significant contributo...
An aging computer may become obsolete, unmaintainable or too costly to run. Overheating, stress, electrical surges and other issues can damage a computer beyond repair. However, a dead computer still has some value. Once, broke...
With technology developing in all kinds of directions, you may feel compelled to upgrade your desktop or laptop computer to take advantage of the new offerings in the electronics market. You also may find that your system is no...
In most cases, you cannot just place your computer in the trash because of its potential environmental hazards. The National Electronics Recycling Infrastructure Clearinghouse maintains a list of state laws governing e-waste su...
Though a single computer no longer fills an entire room, computers could eventually fill the world’s landfills if they’re not recycled. As the technology advances at lightning speed, today’s cutting edge compu...
Because there are no formal regulations on computer disposal stemming from federal legislation, individual states are free to create legislation that regulates computer disposal or sets up computer recycling programs.
Computer recycling has some specific challenges. Hardware becomes rapidly obsolete, producing large streams of e-waste. Electronic components contain a variety of hazardous substances that need special handling. To get to the p...
Depending on the type, your monitor may contain significant amounts of heavy metals and toxins. Monitors are also made with plastics, metals and other materials that can be easily recycled. Recycling your computer monitor ensur...
It may be your first instinct to put those items into the trash, but the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency cautions consumers against haphazardly tossing out their old computers. Some computers contain hazardous materials th...
Computers don't last forever. Worse, computers often become obsolete while they still have a lot of life left in them. With technology evolving at a rapid rate and new, shiny models available for ever-decreasing prices, compute...
Many computer components contain lead, mercury, chromium and other hazardous materials that can threaten the environment and cause serious long-term illness to the public if discarded instead of recycled. Some of these recycled...
With a recycling rate of only about 18 percent, that leaves quite a few computers entering the waste stream---in itself a waste, since so many parts of a computer can be recycled.
In 2007, 158 million discarded computer products were dumped in landfills. Only 48 million were recycled. Roughly 2 percent of all trash in landfills is old computer equipment. Recycling a computer is a good way to pass a funct...
As the number of computers sold grows so does the need to responsibly dispose of them. The Environmental Protection Agency, or EPA, lists lead, nickel, cadmium and mercury among the many components of used computers that could ...
In many cases these computers are still functional but owners are nevertheless opting to junk these machines rather than dispose of them properly. The need for recycling computers is clear once the facts are known.
Today, computers have a surprisingly short lifespan as consumers seek to upgrade to new features every three to five years on average. As a result, consumers have dumped millions of unwanted computers into landfills every year....
Computers and other e-waste include a variety of components that are not safe for the environment or that are valuable to reuse or recycle, and e-cycling can reduce the impact of throwing out these materials.
Many electronics retailers and computer manufacturers advertise trade-in programs, and many states have even prohibited computers from being dumped in landfills.
One electronic product in particular that contributes to this environmental damage the computer. Computers contain multiple toxic substances that need to be recycled properly to reduce their environmental impact. Computer are r...
The Environmental Protection Agency estimates more than 135 million computers and computer hardware items are sitting in storage, meaning a lot of computer hardware could end up in the waste stream at any time. Although the re...
