To get a sense of how out-of-control our lack of electronics recycling in St Petersburg problem is, you only have to look at an image from one of the thousands of landfills across the country.
Despite all the efforts to educate the public about the importance and benefits of electronic waste recycling, 12.5% of computers, mobile phones, monitors, televisions, and other household items end up in the cycle economy.
This complete guide to electronics recycling in St Petersburg has been created to help you and your family. To really get to the core of this matter, I will cover electronics recycling from every angle.
Understanding Electronics Recycling in St Petersburg
What exactly is E-Waste?
E-waste refers to any electronic or electrical equipment that has been discarded.
This can include cell phones, computer monitors, old fax machines, vacuum cleaners, and even old cell phones.
Because of obsolete technology, some end up being wasted. Others might need to be upgraded in order to conserve energy. They fall under the waste category as long as they have wires and the power supply needed to operate the devices.
Take a look around your house and count the electronic items. This will give you an idea of how many electronics are in a typical home.
What does E-Waste Recycling mean?
E-waste recycling is the process of donating old electronics to be recycled into individual materials. You will find some rubber and plastic, but there will also be a lot of metals and toxic chemicals. Silver and copper are the most valuable. This is because you use tons of electronics.
Responsible recycling involves removing heavy metals and toxic substances. This is the more difficult part. These are expensive to safely dispose of and difficult to extract.
1. E-Waste releases toxic chemicals
Many electronic components are found in everything, from cell phones to TVs and toner cartridges to kitchen food processors. Although it may seem that these components are just plastic, silicon, and a little bit of copper wiring at first glance, there are many toxic chemicals and metals in them.
The most commonly used materials are lead mercury, cadmium. It shouldn’t take too much imagination to imagine what happens in landfills, considering how many of these devices end up in the trash.
There is a greater chance of chemical substances building up in groundwater supplies, and possibly becoming harmful airborne toxins.
2. E-Waste dumping Is illegal
There are currently 19 states that have laws making it illegal to dispose of electronics in the garbage.
These states also encourage more recycling services to exist to deal with the millions of broken and functioning electronics consumers throw away every year.
Due to the low percent of e-waste recycling in the U.S., there are still substantial gaps between enforcing and introducing legislation.
3. The loss of finite natural resources
This is one of the most important things to remember when dealing with electronic devices. Every year, the electronics industry needs millions upon millions of pounds of various metals. It’s the mining companies around the globe that use huge amounts of energy to destroy large areas of nature.
However, at this point, there is enough e-waste to provide the majority of the resources required by electronics companies.
All electronics that are broken could be donated to a recycling center, which would reduce the demand for natural resources and decrease greenhouse gas emissions.
Are All Electronics Recyclable?
As I said, e-waste recycling can be done for any device that contains a battery, cable, or electronic circuitry. You need to be aware that there are both free and paid devices to recycle electronics.
In the next section, we will discuss the best ways to recycle old electronic devices. Even though the items listed below may be charged a fee, they might still be accepted at certain shops or through manufacturer’s programs.
Electronic Recycling Devices Free of Charge
- Cell phones
- Computers
- Laptops
- Televisions
- Computer monitors
- Tablets
- UPS Batteries
- Network switches
- Servers
- Hardrives
Electronic Recycling Devices Paid
- Walkmen/CD Players
- Christmas lights
- Projector TVs/DLP
- Fans
- Fax machines
- Ink/Toner Cartridges
- Keyboards
- Microwaves
- Printers
- Remote controls
- Scanners
- Stereo Equipment
- VCRs
- DVD players
- Speakers
- Toasters
- Blenders
- Coffee makers
- Vacuum cleaners
- Washing machines
- Refrigerators
Although this is not a comprehensive list of all electronic devices, it does contain some common items based on eCycle’s experience.
Choose eCycle Florida
eCycle Florida is an R2 Certified electronics recycling company in the state of Florida. Check out the services in the multitude of industries that we offer:
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