As electronic devices such as computers, laptops and cell phones have become indispensable to everyday life; it has alerted many to question where these items are ending up after use. Sadly, most of these electronic materials end up in landfills according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The issue of proper e-waste management has finally piqued government attention and created cause for long overdue action.
There’s valid reason for government intervention. The EPA estimates that the country generated close to 3.5 million tons of used electronics in 2012. Improper e-waste management is a serious issue that has serious public health implications not to mention environmental hazards. Something clearly needs to be done.
To combat this, the government created the National Strategy for Electronics Stewardship to promote responsible electronic design, e-waste management, recycling, and create green jobs. As outlined it:
• promotes the development of more efficient and sustainable electronic products
• directs federal agencies to buy, use, reuse and recycle their electronics responsibly
• supports recycling options and systems for American consumers
• strengthens America’s role in the international electronics stewardship arena
With the shift in the government’s preservation actions, consumers must follow. Despite EPA reports that consumers still struggle to understand and achieve sustainable consumption, there are numerous simple solutions that consumers can adopt. To begin with, recycling one of the most widely used electronic devices, the cell phone, is a good start. According to the USEPA, approximately 14 million Americans recycle their used cell phones. Recycling and reusing consumer electronic devices such as cell phones, PDAs, chargers, and batteries facilitates energy conservation and keeps reusable materials out of landfills.
Here’s how it works. Cell phone and PDA devices are built from precious metals, coppers, and plastics, which all take energy to mine and manufacture, not to mention gas emission. As reported by the USEPA, recycling 100 million cell phones could save approximately 7,500 pounds of gold and return these valuable resources to the supply chain, thus minimizing waste. This would prevent 12 billion pounds of loose soil, sand, and rock from having to be moved, mined, and processed. These benefits are considerable.
Now, there is an additional incentive for those savvy consumers who want to trade in an old cell phone without losing all investment. The benefits are twofold, consumers can sell used cell phones to gain extra cash and reduce waste by increasing product lifespan. An organization that buys and recycles used cell phones for cash, like an old iPhone, is SellandRecycle.com. SellandRecycle.com, an up-and-coming green company, provides consumers with easy to use recycling and reselling services while offering some of the highest product payout.
It’s clear that the environmental benefits of recycling are worthwhile. Recycling consumer electronics amounts to energy savings, waste and emission reduction, and re-utilizing valuable metal materials.
On January 1, 2011 “The Electronic Waste Management Act” implemented a disposal ban on covered electronic devices.” Express Recycling provides secure and proper removal of such items including:
- Computers, Laptops, and Servers
- Monitors and Televisions
- Printers, Fax and Copier Machines
Call us at 201-862-0144 for all of your disposal and recycling needs. We look forward to serving you!
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