Have you thought about what happens to your old cell phone, television set, or computer after you have thrown it away? If you are the management representative for an electronics manufacturer, research laboratory, or waste management/recycling business, have you thought about the effects that electronics might have on the environment if they are disposed of improperly?
Around the world, 20 to 50 million tons of electronic waste were generated in 2007, and that same year, the United States, in particular, was responsible for generating at least three million tons. According to the EPA, the US Government alone is currently disposing of 10,000 computer monitors per week! All this e-waste is either making its way into local landfills or getting exported to countries like China, Pakistan, India, Vietnam, Ghana, and Nigeria with the expectation that it will be recycled. However, all too often, rather than be recycled or disposed of properly, this exported waste is left heaped in dumps where it poses a significant threat to the local people and the environment in general. Globally, this enormous e-waste problem has a potentially disastrous future, especially as computer and cell phone use continues to grow throughout the world.
As consumers and corporations become increasingly conscious and concerned about recycling and protecting the environment, both domestically and internationally, of end-of-life electronic material and equipment should be among first in their thoughts. Rather than electronics which contain cathode ray tubes, circuit boards, items containing mercury/PCBs, and batteries be incinerated or landfilled we need to ensure that these materials are not incinerated or landfilled.
Recycling is right for people and right for the environment. Could it be right for your company? “Going Green” is easy. Solid business strategies that not only attract the attention of environmentally concerned consumers but also positively impacts your bottom line are very important to us all.
Ecycle Pros verifies that your company is properly disposing of electronic equipment, along with ensuring worker health and safety and proper data security practices.
Consumer interest in safely disposing of data has been fueled by a steady stream of reports of personal records found on used equipment. A German maker of disk erase and recovery software bought 100 hard disks on eBay and found them chock full of corporate and institutional data such as charge card numbers, pin numbers, worker evaluations, and court documents. Data destruction and certification has long been available to companies looking to jettison large amounts of used equipment.