Bal Tashchit and Beyond: E-Waste Recycling

Charlotte Jewish News, February 2025

By David H. Rosenthal

Stashed away in many of our homes are old cables, generations of USB cables and devices, gadgets, mobile devices, and laptops/desktops. Estimates point to $62 billion worth. We know these items will not be used again; however, we are also aware these don’t belong in the trash.

Globally, a paltry 12% of small electronics get recycled, according to a 2024 UN report. The numbers don’t improve for larger electronics. Billions of pounds of equipment, from old iPods to broken TVs, get thrown away, commonly known as e-waste. This “waste” contains valuable metals, ending up in landfills with dangerous chemicals that can leach into the soil and groundwater. Beyond this, there’s a veritable treasure trove of critical materials lost when these devices aren’t recycled.

Many of the critical minerals needed for smartphones and clean energy tech, including solar panels and electric vehicles, also come from countries with records of abusive mining conditions. Metals, including indium (touchscreens), tantalum (capacitors for energy storage), and germanium (semiconductors, microchips), are typically not found in the United States, so recycled electronics are a sustainable way to build up a domestic supply chain of these elements.

The world’s e-waste problem is growing, in part due to the production and consumption of more electronics, including products that can’t be repaired or are designed with short lifecycles. The 137 million pounds of e-waste created by humans in 2022 breaks down to 17 pounds of e-waste per person. Only about 22% of it was formally collected and recycled. Compare that to the more than 50% of aluminum cans recycled, and it’s easy to see we have some work to do.

The scramble to recapture an estimated $62 billion worth of unclaimed materials has created an informal e-waste recycling market with harmful consequences. This includes the rise of urban mining, where electronics are recycled and refined on the streets of low-income countries. This leads to toxic fumes harming local workers and residents and corrosive chemicals being dumped in rivers. The UN estimates that about half the world’s recycled e-waste goes through informal channels.

“By recycling a product, you’re able to offset the energy and the materials it would take to manufacture a new one,” states Callie Babbitt, a professor in the Rochester Institute of Technology’s sustainability department. “And that means we don’t have to mine as many materials from sometimes vulnerable and ecologically sensitive parts of the world.”

Recycling e-waste is not as straightforward as recycling aluminum cans. Many big-box stores will recycle your old electronics for you, as will a growing list of recycling centers. E-waste is one of the fastest-growing solid waste streams in the world. Further, mining for the critical metals needed to manufacture electronics is extremely energy-intensive and a contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. Recycling components is essential in mitigating climate change, damage to local ecosystems, and biodiversity impacts.

So how can you recycle your e-waste? You can seek out certified e-waste recyclers in your area. In Charlotte, Foxhole Disposal and Recycling Center (https://wipeoutwaste.mecknc. gov/facility/foxhole-disposal-and-recycling-center), 17131 Lancaster Hwy, Charlotte, NC 28277. A fee may be levied for certain items.

You can actually drop off many old electronics at big-box stores, Best Buy and Staples. You can take batteries, light bulbs, and plastic bags to Lowe’s and Home Depot. Some retailers offer trade-in, trade-up programs for certain devices, as does the popular refurbished electronics marketplace Back Market. There are also smaller sites like Decluttr and Swappa that accept old gadgets and give you credit on refurbished ones. Many items will be accepted at certain Goodwill locations in partnership with Dell to recycle e-waste. If you’re still at a loss for drop-off sites, Earth911 and Call2Recycle have handy hyperlocal guides. Those drawers full of cords and old gadgets aren’t going to recycle themselves. Now that the holiday season has passed, consider giving those materials back to the world. If you just bought a new phone, for instance, don’t throw the old one in the trash. Definitely don’t put it in that drawer in the back of your closet. Someone will probably pay good money to take it off your hands. Jewish tradition teaches and commands responsibility, the importance of caring for the environment, for we must act as partners in preserving creation. If you are interested in supporting Shalom Green, by volunteering your time or financially, please visit our website at www.shalomgreenCLT.org or email us at info@shalomgreenCLT.org. Connect with us on Facebook at Shalom Green: Shalom Park Environmental Initiative and on Instagram and Twitter @shalomgreen_CLT.