Electronic waste (e-waste) is when electronic products that have come towards the end of their “useful life.†Many electronics products found around your office can be recycled like computers, laptops, copiers, printers, cell phones and many more products. Electronic waste has detrimental effects on our environment, the health of humans and animals and the risk of having your data stolen is raised. Recycling your used electronic devices is important to make sure you are protecting the environment and your company. Here are 5 reasons why electronic waste is such a problem:
- Electronic waste keeps growing and growing: Today people are buying more and more electronic devices and the electronic devices are being retired faster. For example, cell phones usually have a useful life of 18 to 24 months. In 2012, the average U.S. household spent $1,312 on consumer electronic products a year, according to a study by the Consumer Electronic Associations (CEA). More than 20 million tons of e-waste are produced every year.
Environmental effects of e-waste: The toxic materials from electronic devices are released into bodies of water, groundwater, soil and air, affecting both land and sea animals. When you throw out your e-waste they wind up in landfills, causing toxic materials to seep into groundwater. When e-waste is warmed up, toxic chemicals are released into the air damaging the atmosphere.- Tons e-waste is shipped overseas: Much of this left in junkyard to polluted the environment or burned for scrap by kids. Informal recycling markets in China, India, Pakistan,Vietnam, and Philippines handle anywhere from 50 percent to 80 percent of the world’s e-waste. In Guiyu, China, one of the largest electronic waste landfill sites in the world. When electronic devices are dumped in these developing countries the impact is detrimental to the environment of the country and the health of the people.
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- Health implications of electronic waste: Computers and most electronics contain toxic materials such as lead, zinc, nickel, barium and chromium, specifically with lead, if released is not the environment can cause damage to human blood, kidneys, as well as central and peripheral nervous systems. Residents of Guiyu, China exhibit substantial digestive, neurological, respiratory and bone problems.The impact of electronic waste is detrimental to the health of the people in these developing countries.
- Electronic waste and data security: Managers should be concerned with where their electronic equipment is going after disposal because they are worried about sensitive data loss, identity theft, consumer scams, data breaches and loss of integrity. These are just a few of the problems that can be cause by not properly disposing of your electronic waste due to people stealing information from the hard drives in e-waste.
Environmental effects of e-waste:
Mayer Alloys Corporation is based in the Metro Detroit area and provides business to business electronic waste recycling. We provide our customers with:
- Data Security Solutions
- Hard Drive Shredding
- Environmentally Responsible Recycling via an R2 Certified Facility
- Competitive Prices
Mayer Alloys Corporation is an R2 compliant provider in partnership with OmniSource Electronic Recycling, an R2 Certified Recycler. Mayer will provide you with peace of mind that you are disposing of your organization’s electronic waste safely and responsibly. All electronic waste is recycled in an R2 Certified facility. All hard drives are destroyed and Certificates of Destruction in compliance with Department of Defense (DoD) security standards are provided. For more information about electronic recycling check out our Ultimate Guide To Corporate Electronic Recycling. Learn more about our e-waste recycling solutions here.
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