Tech Waste Recycling Benefits for Homes and Businesses

Today, the world has a garbage crisis. In reality, it reaches new levels of concern every year. A big part of it is electronics waste. Essentially, e-waste is leftover debris from damaged, obsolete, or unwanted electronics.

That includes cell phones, computers, printers, tablets, TVs, and more. Of course, modern electronics are fantastically convenient and useful. However, they have a short lifespan. That means they become trash at an alarming pace.

For example, consider the estimated 500 million cell phones. Really, they sit unused or forgotten in homes around the world. What happens to all of those ignored or non-functioning devices?

Sadly, most of them end up in landfills. Truthfully, only 12 percent is recycled. In fact, more than 41 million tons of e-waste were tossed out in 2019. Yet, less than 40 percent of that was disposed of properly.

What is the proper way for its disposal? It’s no secret that electronics are built with toxic chemicals. This includes cadmium and mercury. Also, they also include valuable materials like copper, tin, iron, gold, plastic, glass, and silver. Really, most of it can be recovered and recycled.

Benefits of E-Waste Recycling

Perhaps, your Florida home or business uses electronics on a regular basis. Consequently, recycling that equipment at the end of their useful lives offers significant benefits.

Of course, there are benefits from recovering the above-mentioned valuable metals and other materials. In fact, recycling e-waste saves energy, reduces pollution, conserves landfill space. Also, it contributes to job creation.

Save Energy and Natural Metals

Did you know that recycling one million laptops can save energy? Actually, the electricity equivalent is sufficient to run nearly 700 households for a year. Essentially, one million recycled cell phones can recover precious metals. That includes 75 pounds of gold, more than 800 pounds of silver, and 35 pounds of copper.

Reduce Production Waste

It takes an enormous amount of resources to manufacture a single computer and monitor. This includes 530 pounds of fossil fuel, 40 pounds of chemicals, and 1.5 tons of water. In fact, more than 80 percent of a computer’s energy use is allocated to production and the operation of the machine.

Good for The Environment

In reality, recycling your Florida-based electronics is an environmentally-friendly decision. Therefore, don’t contribute to the detrimental impacts of mining for metals used in phones and the like. Instead, you should recycle. In doing so, it conserves and inspires our planet’s natural resources.

A Healthier Conclusion

Recycling tech waste also has a dramatic impact on reducing greenhouse gas emissions. After all, they negatively affect our health. Thus, recycling electronics keeps harmful chemicals from infiltrating our waterways and drinking water sources. Accordingly, it affects the soil that grows our food.