Before you throw out your old electronics, remember that there is a better way to dispose of them.
Landfills are increasingly filling up with electronic waste. This is an issue because electronics have different toxins in them that make them even more hazardous to the environment than the usual waste we throw out.
Not only is it more dangerous to throw away electronic devices, but there’s no reason to! They can actually be recycled for the materials in them. Did you know that phones can have copper, silver, gold, and palladium in them? If we recycled them, then these sought-after materials could be reused for something helpful, rather than ending up in a landfill.
It takes a lot of energy and materials to produce these items. Specifically, it takes 530 lbs of fossil fuels, 48 lbs of chemicals, and 1.5 tons of water to create a computer monitor. Think about how many computer monitors are on the market right now. We should put extra care into how we recycle these kinds of items. Next time you have an old device that no longer works, consider sending it to a recycling organization. There are some really great recycling programs out there that can help you dispose of your old tech without hurting the environment.