What To Do With Electronic Waste

How much electronic waste is sitting in your house right now?  Your old cell phone or computer, the broken hair dryer or VCR you don’t know what to do with? 

According to studies, the average American household has at least 6 pieces of electronic waste sitting around.

Electronic waste is the term used for any unwanted electronic or electrical product – computers, cell phones, printers, MP3 player, GPS, TV, VCR, alarm clocks, hair dryers, toasters etc.  The list gets longer with each technological advance.  In the US alone, 14 to 20 million PCs alone are thrown out every year. 

Why Recycle E-Waste Responsibly?

E-Waste contains toxic substances such as mercury, lead and cadmium so it needs to be disposed of properly.  There has been much in the news recently about electronics being dumped in 3rd world countries. Once there, many reports indicate that people are picking through the e-waste by hand to recover precious metals. This is not good for the environment or the health of the people, including children, recovering the material.

Electronics contain many materials that can be reused.  This eliminates the need to use virgin materials.  Aluminum, plastic, gold, and silver can be reclaimed for reuse when recycled properly.

Think of the information on your computer – bank account numbers, credit card numbers, and social security numbers.  You may think that you do not store this type of information on your computer.  If you do any sort of online banking or purchase items online, your precious data could be stored without your knowledge.  If not erased thoroughly, criminals can retrieve this information.  Think of those crime shows where the computer expert retrieves sensitive information from a hard drive that was “erased”.  It can happen. 

What to do?

For these reasons, you need to make sure you use a reputable recycler.

A reputable recycler will:

     1) deal with harmful materials properly so they do not harm our soil, water, air or workers health

     2) reclaim useful materials such as aluminum, plastic, gold, and silver for reuse 

     3) protect your personal data so it is not stolen

One convenient option is to attend a Westford Recycling Commission electronics recycling event.  They ensure that all electronics are recycled by a reputable recycler.  An event is being held this Saturday September 17 from 8am – 2pm at the Highway Garage on North Street.  This event is CASH only and is open to residents and non-residents.  See the website for applicable fees.

Note: The CD's pictured can be recycled at Best Buy.