In today’s world, we all accumulate electronics over time—mobile phones, computers, printers, TVs, wi-fi routers, radios, Bluetooth® speakers and more. These devices serve us well, but what happens when they stop working or we’re ready to upgrade?
Take a moment to consider:
- Do you have any broken or outdated electronics lying around, taking up space on a shelf or in a drawer?
- Are you planning on replacing any electronics soon, like upgrading to a new smartphone or television?
- Do you feel uncertain about what to do with your old devices?
- Are you concerned about the environmental impact of them ending up in a landfill?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, it might be time to think about recycling. While tossing old devices in the trash can be the simplest option, recycling electronics offers a more responsible way to reduce waste and environmental impact. Here’s how you can make a difference by choosing to recycle your e-waste.
Why should I recycle my electronic devices, and how easy is it?
Recycling prevents millions of tons of e-waste from accumulating in landfills, where decaying components can break down and release harmful materials, potentially causing pollution. Some of the core components are computer chips, motherboards and batteries, while the materials that compose them can include potentially poisonous heavy metals such as cadmium, beryllium, chromium, lead, mercury and nickel, as well as other heavy metals. There are other materials found in electronics that can be recycled, and they include (but are not limited to) aluminum, copper, glass, plastics, silicon, steel, tin and zinc.
Recycling also contributes to the economy, since recycled materials can be sold and repurposed into new goods that can be sold and used.
Products destined for recycling can simply be dropped off at a recycling center or event, picked up from your home by a recycler, or, for relatively small electronics, mailed in. Having your e-waste picked up, mailed or shipped may require some sort of fee, so factor possible costs into your recycling planning.
So how should you start your e-waste recycling program? Consider what you can and want to recycle.
What types of consumer electronics can be recycled?
Below is a list of some of the most common devices and components that can be recycled:
- Camcorders and cameras
- Cellphones
- Computers – laptop, desktop, and tablet
- Computer keyboards and mice
- Computer monitors
- Computer components—hard disk drives (HDD), solid state drives (SSD), graphics cards (GPU), motherboards, random access memory (RAM), circuit boards
- Computer or telecommunications network gear
- Desktop printers
- DVD players
- Earbuds and headphones
- Electronic toys
- Radios
- Televisions
Next, prepare your electronics for recycling while thinking about personal information security and potential physical and environmental hazards
The U.S. government’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has recommendations on how to prepare some of your electronics for recycling:
- For desktop or laptop computers, consider upgrading the hardware or software rather than buying a new product. Older computers can be given new, improved functionality with better internal components that may be faster and have greater storage capacity. A computer can often have its random access memory (usually known as RAM), hard drives and SSDs upgraded, and some laptops can also have their wireless connection card upgraded. The major software upgrade for a personal computer is typically to get updated operating system (OS) software, such as a newer version of Microsoft® Windows, Google® Chrome, Apple® macOS, some version of Linux, or other OS software.
- Delete all personal information from your electronics, including from computers, tablet computers, external storage drives, storage cards and mobile phones before they are given to a recycler. Operating systems for some devices will sometimes have a setting that allows them to be reset to original factory specifications, which should wipe out personal details and owner-installed applications.
- Be cautious with potential physical hazards, including batteries, sharp metal and broken glass from damaged devices. Check if a recycling facility has special handling requirements for batteries. Be careful while handling batteries and electrical terminals connected to the batteries, and prudently look out for cracked or broken glass from a television, computer monitor or another device. Also, check thoroughly for protruding sharp metal points, corners or edges that may need to be covered or taped up as a safety precaution against someone inadvertently getting a cut on their hand.
- Take out all easily removeable, standard replaceable batteries from your electronics such as AAA, AA, C, and D-size battery cells, as well as coin-sized batteries, since they could contain harmful heavy metals that can contaminate the environment. These common household batteries may need to be recycled separately at a specialized recycling facility.
- Lithium-ion batteries should not be disposed of in household garbage or recycling bins. These widely used types of batteries power laptop and tablet computers, cellphones, wireless earbuds, some hearing aids, portable wireless speakers, power banks and other types of consumer products. Lithium-ion batteries also include many coin-sized batteries such the common model CR2032 that may be used in devices such as remote entry car control key fobs or as back-up batteries in computer motherboards. These batteries may be installed so that they either require some effort and tools to be removed or they cannot be removed without destroying the device. Lithium-ion batteries that are removed may need to go to recyclers that specifically take in these batteries.
Look up where to recycle and decide to either drop off gear, have it picked up or shipped or mailed to a recycling facility
To get started with electronics recycling, explore the resources below to see if they align with your recycling goals:
- Look up recycling centers for your city or county and either arrange for pick up or deliver your gear to them. Many cities and counties have either government operated or private recyclers. Check their websites to see which items they accept, whether they offer pickup services for consumer electronics, and if there's a fee involved. Some types of materials may need to be mailed or commercially shipped to special recycling centers; an example might be certain types of batteries.
- Investigate what types of electronics local recyclers accept. Different recyclers may specialize in different devices or materials; some may take computers but not cellphones while others may exclusively handle batteries. Read their websites carefully or call them to confirm what they do and don’t accept.
- Check city or county websites for notices of periodic recycling drives in the community which may be held at nearby neighborhood locations such as church or government parking lots. During these events area residents can drop off televisions and other equipment at local sites, and there may be paid or volunteer staff standing by to help offload cars and trucks.
Research, select your electronics, prepare, recycle!
Get your recyclables ready, do your investigative research into your recycling options, decide how you want to proceed, and get rid of that old stuff taking up space! Before completing your personal recycling program, maybe check if neighbors or friends want to include their electronics with what you’re turning in, so the time and effort is not just benefiting you but others as well. After recycling your electronic gear, consider if this specific type of recycling needs to be an annual activity or if there are other things to be recycled such as empty plastic or metal containers or toys, metal shelves, outdoor metal play sets, or furniture.
Recycling doesn’t have to be something that only happens once, instead of “one and done”, plan for it to be regular activity to help eliminate clutter and help the environment and economy. Once you've researched your recycling options and decided on a plan, gather your old electronics and prepare to finally clear out that clutter! Consider checking with neighbors or friends to see if they’d like to add their items to yours, making your effort a collective one that benefits others, too. After completing your recycling, think about making it a regular habit. You might decide to recycle other items annually—like empty plastic or metal containers, old toys, metal shelves or outdoor furniture. Recycling doesn’t have to be a one-time activity; make it a regular practice to reduce clutter and support both the environment and the economy.
Looking for more information on managing other parts of your life, such as money or your home?
For more information that may help you manage your costs and finances, look into the free Delta Community Financial Education Center webinars on a range of practical, “how to” topics that could potentially help save you money and enable you to better manage your income, financial assets and life. Please visit the Financial Education Center's Events & Seminars page to review and register for its monthly on-demand webinars.
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