Christmas is Over: Tips for Recycling your Old Electronics
Zachary Clark Thompson
January 13, 2012
Christmas is over and you're disposing of the old so there is room for all the new gifts you have received. Whether it's the decrepit toaster oven, black and white TV, virus-infected laptop or your out of date cell phone, are you wondering how to get rid of them?
These items may not look useful to you, but a recycling company can put them to good use. Nearly every community has a recycling center you can take your electronics and other items to. Some areas even have curbside pickup. Regardless of where you recycle your Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment(WEEE), each one has valuable components that can be recycled and put to use again.
If your unwanted electronics are not broken down and useless, they can sold or donated to be reused by a charity or someone in need. Myles Pilkington with Sims Recycling Solutions, the world's largest metals recycler, explains, "If an item is still in working order, it should be sold or sent for reuse wherever possible. This prolongs the life of that particular piece of equipment until it finally breaks down and can be recycled."
Once recycled, WEEE can be used for production of new electronic equipment. With landfills reaching their limits, it's important to keep reusable materials out. Dropping off your electronics in the recycling center bins instead of your trash cans can make a big difference. According to some sources, the average Americans throws away about 4 pounds of trash each day. What if you could recycle most, or at least part of that?
One word of caution if you recycle or donate items such as computers, phones and other devices that contain personal data. Make sure you remove all information that is stored on your electronics. This is especially important for computers and smart phones or Blackberrys. If you can't do it yourself, a computer shop can remove a hard drive from your computer fairly easily.
Myles Pilkington adds, "Whilst reusing computers and computer equipment benefits communities, if your personal data should fall into the wrong hands you could be creating problems for yourself further down the line."
If you're having problems finding a recycling center or your community doesn't have curbside pickup, you can contact a professional recycling company to take your WEEE. Sims Recycling Solutions has 51 locations worldwide, so it's likely you can take your items to Sims. Last year alone, Sims processed 475,000 tons of electrical and electronic waste worldwide.
These items may not look useful to you, but a recycling company can put them to good use. Nearly every community has a recycling center you can take your electronics and other items to. Some areas even have curbside pickup. Regardless of where you recycle your Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment(WEEE), each one has valuable components that can be recycled and put to use again.
If your unwanted electronics are not broken down and useless, they can sold or donated to be reused by a charity or someone in need. Myles Pilkington with Sims Recycling Solutions, the world's largest metals recycler, explains, "If an item is still in working order, it should be sold or sent for reuse wherever possible. This prolongs the life of that particular piece of equipment until it finally breaks down and can be recycled."
Once recycled, WEEE can be used for production of new electronic equipment. With landfills reaching their limits, it's important to keep reusable materials out. Dropping off your electronics in the recycling center bins instead of your trash cans can make a big difference. According to some sources, the average Americans throws away about 4 pounds of trash each day. What if you could recycle most, or at least part of that?
One word of caution if you recycle or donate items such as computers, phones and other devices that contain personal data. Make sure you remove all information that is stored on your electronics. This is especially important for computers and smart phones or Blackberrys. If you can't do it yourself, a computer shop can remove a hard drive from your computer fairly easily.
Myles Pilkington adds, "Whilst reusing computers and computer equipment benefits communities, if your personal data should fall into the wrong hands you could be creating problems for yourself further down the line."
If you're having problems finding a recycling center or your community doesn't have curbside pickup, you can contact a professional recycling company to take your WEEE. Sims Recycling Solutions has 51 locations worldwide, so it's likely you can take your items to Sims. Last year alone, Sims processed 475,000 tons of electrical and electronic waste worldwide.
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