Why Is It important to Dispose of Electronic Waste Properly?

People are upgrading their technology very often these days, and this results in a lot of electronic waste ending up in landfills. Electronics recycling in Austin is important to save these electronics and appliances from damaging the environment and to ensure that hazardous materials are properly disposed of.

Electronic Waste Can Be Hazardous Waste

Something many people don’t realize is that electronics often use materials and metals that are hazardous to people, so when you are trying to dispose of your electronics, you should do it properly for safety reasons. By not using electronics recycling in Austin, you could be subjecting waste disposal workers or the environment to unnecessary risks and contamination. For example, older style cathode-ray tube (CRT) monitors and TVs contain glass that is leaded, and lead is a poisonous heavy metal. Batteries in cellphones and most other devices include cancer-causing elements within them, such as lithium, cadmium, and lead. Mercury can also be present in some appliances, such as a chest freezer in the form of mercury switches. Mercury can cause respiratory and skin disorders in humans, and it can poison the soil if it is improperly disposed of.

Proper Disposal May Be Regulated

If you are a business, you are going to be subject to regulations at all levels of government when it comes to your electronic waste disposal practices. Companies that deal with electronics recycling in Austin are going to have certified technicians that are well versed in the safety and legal regulations that need to be followed in order to ensure safe disposal of electronic waste. Not following the regulations set out, a business could face hefty fines.

Adds a Layer of Security

Protecting one’s data in this modern world is important, and your electronic devices hold a lot of data about you. You could attempt to do wipes of your hard drives, or resets of your phone before throwing it out, but data can sometimes still be recovered. When you do electronics recycling in Austin, you’ll be handing off your device to a company that will properly destroy the electronics to ensure that the data that was on them can never be retrieved and used maliciously.

Precious Metals in Electronic Waste

The manufacturing of electronics often uses a lot of precious metals, and if those electronics are thrown away into landfills, those metals are lost. The precious metals within electronic waste have a much richer value than the raw ores that are mined because they are already processed and pure. Electronics recycling in Austin ensures those precious metals are saved. It’s estimated that only 10 - 15 percent of gold found in e-waste is recovered due to improper disposal.

Reduces Landfill Usage

A great environmental reason to use electronics recycling in Austin is to reduce the amount of electronic waste that is ending up in landfills each year. An EPA study has found that each year, nearly 60 million metric tons of electronic waste around the world, thrown into landfills. So, doing your part and ensuring your electronics and appliances are properly recycled is important to start reducing that number.

Proper Disposal is Easily Accessible

Electronics recycling in Austin is more easily accessible than ever nowadays. This means there is little reason you shouldn’t be using a service to safely, properly, and legally dispose of your electronic waste. For help with your electronics and appliance recycling, contact Waste Kings Junk Removal today to schedule a pick-up.