Managed Asset Recovery Services

Earth Day Shines a Spotlight on E-Waste

As Earth Day approaches on April 22, we believe it’s vital to highlight the fastest growing and most hazardous type of trash facing us today – electronic waste. Currently, e-waste represents just 2% of America’s trash in landfills, yet it equals 70% of overall toxic waste.

We’re using more and more of the latest and greatest devices faster than ever – cell phones, tablets, TVs, laptops and more. Thanks to this dependence on new technology, it’s critical that consumers, businesses and communities safely recycle their toxic tech.

Globally, it’s expected that we’ll generate 93.5 million tons of e-waste in 2016, and only 12.5% of e-waste is currently recycled. This means that education is incredibly important, especially around Earth Day. We’re hoping to educate all technology users of the harmful chemicals within those devices, as well as the importance of working with a certified recycler to process phones, laptops, LCD screens and many other products we can’t live without.

This Earth Day, we want businesses to understand the new corporate social responsibility: not only doing good in terms of charitable donations, but in terms of how trash and technology are discarded. We only have one planet and it’s under threat from toxic chemicals in the large amounts of tech that are not handled properly.

The Reality of E-waste: an infographic

How Is Data Stolen Off Old, Discarded Devices?

How is Data Stolen Off Old, Discarded Devices? With the data we store on electronic devices increasing, how safe is it once your device is no longer your own?

Reducing E-Waste

Follow these guidelines to reduce your e-waste:

Reduce the generation of the electronic waste itself. By doing a bit of research before you purchase, you can make sure you’re not buying an item that will easily break or become damaged shortly after purchasing it. The practice of ‘planned obsolescence’ refers to planning and designing a product so that it’ll become obsolete (or break) within a certain time frame. This is a common practice in the electronics business–to earn them more money in the long run–but by reading reviews and understanding the technical side of the electronic you’re planning on buying, you can avoid products built with planned obsolescence in mind.
Consider reusable ink cartridges or plan to recycle them. Studies have shown that less than 30% of approximately 1.3 billion of the world’s inkjet cartridges are recycled each year. This is a staggering amount that, if stacked side by side, would encircle the world twice in just one year. Recycling inks or printing with reusable cartridges can make a huge impact.
Reuse electronic parts and equipment if they’re still working, and repair that laptop instead of getting a new one. If an electronic component cannot be repaired, recycle that one component and replace it instead of buying an entirely new product.

Earth Day - Host an Employee Recycling Event

Did you know Earth Day was formed 46 years ago in 1970? The federal holiday originated after a national “teach-in” organized across many US universities to spread awareness of the effects of pollutants on the environment. The focus was on reducing and recycling consumer waste and cleaning our water and air, but people thought nothing of tossing old cathode ray tube (CRT) TVs in landfills. Fast-forward to today and we are now better educated on the hazardous result of improper disposal of electronic waste on the environment. And there is more e-waste than ever today— smartphones, tablets, laptops, etc.

Electronic waste is the fastest growing waste stream in the US. It accounts for approximately 2 percent of municipal waste today, but with the growth of technology and the short lifecycle of consumer electronics, the more damaging the effect will be. Some say e-waste will increase 33% by 2017.

Your organization can play a role in the sustainable recycling of consumer e-waste. Host an employee electronics recycling drive on Earth Day, or any day of the year. In fact, any day except Earth Day is good, because there are so many other events that day.

How Fixing Devices Or Buying Refurbished Reduces E-Waste

http://electronicrecyclers.com/2015/10/how-fixing-devices-or-buying-refurbished-reduces-e-waste

How Fixing Devices or Buying Refurbished Reduces E-Waste Before rushing out to buy a brand-new device, consider your options (which may be better): buying refurbished or fixing your device.

The 3 rules of recycling electronics waste

The 3 rules of recycling electronics waste When getting rid of old company laptops and smartphones, it's not worth taking a shortcut that will cost you dearly in the long term.

How Industry Leaders Are Furthering E-Waste Recycling

How Industry Leaders Are Furthering E-Waste Recycling Take a quick look at how retailers, manufacturers, recyclers and more are tackling e-waste.

Tech Graveyards: Five Reasons Why You Should Clean Them Up!

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Instead of trashing your old phone, here are the 10 best uses for old smartphones.

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