Out With the Old: Recycling Your Property's Used Electronics

As technology advances, so does the amount of electronic waste (e-waste) produced each year. In fact, it is estimated that the electronic waste generated worldwide will grow to nearly 75 million tons per year by 2030. At a 30 percent increase over the span of 10 years, that’s a lot of electronic waste!

In this article, we will discuss the challenges posed by electronic waste and how large corporations and organizations can recycle their old electronics through an e-waste recycling program.

What are the challenges posed by electronic waste?

The challenges posed by electronic waste are multifaceted. They include the following:

Damage to the Environment

First and foremost, electronic waste is damaging to the environment. When electronic waste ends up in landfills, it leaches harmful toxins and chemicals into the ground and water. This can lead to soil and water contamination for the surrounding area.

Another alarming realization is that the toxic contaminants in e-waste are also a significant contributor to air pollution. Not only does this impact the quality of life for humans, but it also can be devastating to local ecosystems. Once the pollutants make it into the air, they can be carried for long distances, impacting areas that are far from the original source of pollution.

Harmful to Human Health

In addition to being damaging to the environment, electronic waste is also dangerous for humans. The toxins and chemicals present in e-waste can cause a variety of health problems, including respiratory issues, skin irritation, headaches, and even cancer. These health problems can be especially prevalent for the communities located near electronic waste disposal sites.

A Burden on Developing Nations

Harmful electronic waste is often exported to developing nations where it is disposed of in unsafe ways. This creates a burden on these countries, as they lack the infrastructure and

resources to deal with the e-waste in a safe and environmentally friendly manner. Unfortunately, this has led to an overload of waste in these countries, causing environmental and health problems for the residents.

A Growing Problem

As the world becomes increasingly digitized, the electronic waste problem will only continue to grow. With the rapid advancement of technology, electronic devices are becoming outdated at an ever-increasing pace. This results in more electronic waste being produced each year, further exacerbating the problem.

Lack of Awareness

One of the biggest challenges posed by electronic waste is the lack of awareness surrounding the issue. Unfortunately, the general public isn’t aware of the environmental and health hazards associated with electronic waste. As a result, they do not take steps to recycle their electronic waste properly. This contributes to the growing problem of electronic waste and makes it difficult to find solutions that will effectively address the issue.

What is Electronic Recycling?

Electronic recycling is often defined as the process of recycling electronic waste in a way that minimizes the negative environmental and health

impacts. This can be done by properly disposing of electronic waste through an e-waste facility, extracting valuable materials from electronic waste, and refurbishing, donating, and reusing electronic devices.

When done correctly, electronic recycling can help to reduce the electronic waste problem by diverting waste from landfills, reducing pollution, recycling valuable electronic components, and preventing harmful toxins and chemicals from leaching into the environment.

What e-Waste Should be Recycled?

Every business that uses electronics produces electronic waste, making it important for everyone to recycle their e-waste properly. Some common examples of e-waste that should be recycled include computers, laptops, cell phones, monitors, printers, and fax machines. Additionally, all the devices from your data center, including servers, routers, and switches, should also be recycled.

If these electronic devices are sent to a landfill, they will release harmful toxins and chemicals into the environment, causing pollution and health problems for people and wildlife. In addition, landfills are not designed to properly recycle electronic waste, so these devices end up occupying space that could be used for other waste.

Frequency

There is no definitive answer on how frequently you should conduct electronic recycling. It depends on the amount of electronic waste produced by your business. While it is generally recommended that companies recycle their electronic waste at least once a year, it could be as often as quarterly if your business frequently produces large amounts of electronic waste.

If your business is in the process of upgrading its electronic devices, you may want to consider contacting an electronic waste management facility to organize a pickup of your old devices. This will ensure that your old devices won’t end up overwhelming your property’s storage space. Additionally, it will allow you to responsibly recycle your electronic waste in a way that minimizes its environmental and health impacts.

Practical Steps

If you’re interested in starting an e-waste recycling program at your property, there are a few practical steps you can take to get started.

Step 1: Identify your e-Waste

First, you’ll want to identify the different types of electronic waste produced by your business. This will help you determine which electronic recycling methods best suit your needs.

While different e-waste recycling centers may categorize these devices differently, the following categories are still a helpful standard to follow:

Category 1 - Manufacturing Department: cables, power supplies, circuit boards, wires, testing equipment, etc.

Category 2 - IT Department: laptops, monitors, computers, printers, fax machines, mice, CPUs, memory, switches, routers, servers, etc.

Then, you’ll want to determine how much electronic waste your business produces in a given time period. This will help you determine how frequently you’ll need to recycle your electronic waste.

Step 2: Find a Local e-Waste Management Facility

The next step in starting your e-waste recycling program is to find a local electronic waste management facility that offers electronic recycling services to large businesses. Depending on the facility, they may offer pickup services, which can be helpful if your company produces a large amount of electronic waste.

Once you’ve found a facility, you’ll need to contact them and arrange a schedule for future e-waste pickups. They will also provide you with helpful details on how to properly prepare your electronic waste for recycling to ensure that your private data remains secure.

Step 3: Inform Staff

After you’ve arranged for electronic waste pickups from a local facility, you’ll need to inform your staff about your new e-waste recycling program. It’s best to do this with an email that outlines the types of electronic waste that can be recycled, how often pickups will occur, and where electronic waste can be stored until it’s picked up.

This will ensure that they know how to properly dispose of their electronic waste and how best to prepare it for recycling while protecting company data. To ensure that the information is communicated to your team effectively, hosting a lunch and learn can be a great way to introduce the topic and open the floor for any questions. continued on page 16

Step 4: Get Started Recycling

your electronic waste doesn’t have to be complicated. By following these practical steps, you can start an e-waste recycling program at your property with very little disruption to your business. Additionally, you can help ensure that your company’s private data remains secure.

Implementing an electronic waste recycling program is a great way to show your commitment to environmental sustainability and responsible electronic waste management.

Minimizing e-Waste

In addition to starting an e-waste recycling program, there are a number of other ways you can minimize your property’s electronic waste.

Repair

One way to reduce electronic waste is to repair your devices instead of immediately replacing them when they break. While this isn’t always possible, it can be a great way to extend the life of your devices and reduce electronic waste in the long run. Buying extended warranties for your business devices can also be a helpful way to ensure that they can be repaired rather than replaced if something goes wrong.

Donate

Another way to reduce e-waste is to donate your old, functioning devices instead of throwing them away. Many businesses upgrade their laptops, computers, and other devices on a regular basis to stay up to date with the latest technology. These devices can be donated to local schools, nonprofits, or other organizations that can make use of them. Just remember to wipe your devices of all private data before you donate them to protect your company’s confidential information.

Minimize

Finally, you can help reduce electronic waste by minimizing unnecessary purchases of electronic devices. Before making any purchases, take a step back and consider whether the device is truly necessary for your business.

Consulting with employees before making a purchase can also help ensure that they’ll get the proper use out of the device. If the device in question lacks some of the functions they require, it will likely end up going unused and further contribute to your e-waste.

Conclusion

Businesses and commercial office spaces have a responsibility to recycle their old electronics and technologies in an environmentally friendly way. Implementing an e-waste recycling program is one way to meet this responsibility.

About the Author Bill May

Bill May is the marketing director for Ecycle Atlanta, an electronic waste recycling company that serves commercial businesses in Atlanta and the surrounding metro area offering electronic waste pickups, data destruction, and hard drive shredding.