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- Recycling Electronics
Many old electronics are full of toxic stuff that should not be disposed in a landfill, like arsenic, lead, and cadmium. If those materials make it into landfills, they can potentially leak into our ecosystem, damaging plant and animal life and impacting our food supply.
Learn where you can recycle electronics and other items not accepted curbside. Visit Beyond Curbside Recycling.
In addition to toxins, electronic products such as TVs, computers and monitors also contain valuable resources and materials – precious metals, copper, plastics and glass – all of which require energy to mine and manufacture. Recycling electronics not only keeps your old electronics out of our landfills, but also:
Electronic recycling, or e-Recycling, is the responsible recycling of electronics, such as old computers, monitors, smartphones and televisions.
Certified e-Recycling facilities securely wipe computers all of personal information and safely complete the deconstruction of electronic devices so that toxins and valuable resources are recovered from them and handled properly.
Rapid technology change, low initial cost and planned obsolescence have resulted in a fast-growing surplus of computers and other electronic devices around the globe.
Obsolete computers, TVs and monitors are valuable sources for secondary raw materials, if recycled. Computer parts are stripped of their most valuable components and sold for scrap. Metals like copper, aluminum, lead, gold and palladium are recovered from computers, televisions and other personal electronic devices. When electronics are not properly recycled, they end up in our landfills and become a source of toxins and carcinogens to our environment.
Your personal information can be retrieved from a computer dumped in the landfill. However, if disposed of through a certified electronics recycler or take-back program, your personal information is securely destroyed.
Learn where you can recycle electronics and other items not accepted curbside. Visit Beyond Curbside Recycling.
Did you know that recyclables are made into new products? Check out I Want To Be Recycled to learn more.
View the YouTube feature
I Want To Be a Plastic Bench
Recyclables have to be processed prior to going to market. How does a Material Recovery Facility (MRF) work? Take a virtual tour of ReCommunity MRF.
Did you know that you can opt out of receiving those unwanted Yellow Pages? Visit the National Yellow Pages Consumer Choice and Opt Out Site.
Find battery and electronic recycling locations with Call2Recycle.
Learn how to make greener choices when purchasing electronics at Greener Gadgets.
Understand the life-cycle of smartphones at EPA's The Secret Life of a Smartphone website.