A US citizen produces around 4 lbs. of trash per day, but recycles about 10%. Generally speaking, Americans dispose of 2 million plastic bottles every 24 hours, and during the holiday season over 4 million tons of garbage made only from wrapping paper is produced. Knowing the above mentioned facts, might just awake people’s interest about recycling.
Recycling is the general process of used materials that are no longer appropriate for use, and that can be thrown away. However, it’s extremely important where we throw these items once they’re not useful anymore. Recycling means remanufacturing, reducing waste, and maintaining the planet safer and free of pollutants. Materials like metals can be reused indefinitely but not everyone is throwing metal where they should. Carbon emissions and pollution is drastically reduced when using recycled products and not virgin materials.
Every tone of recycled computers reduces carbon emissions with 4.0 tones. Recycling can often be regarded as an efficient procedure to convert waste product into valuable resources. At this point, scientists and world-renowned environmentalists have highlighted their concern about electronic and computer disposal. Computer recycling features numerous benefits that are directly linked to the society we’re living in. Apart from diminishing the need for ignition and controlling pollution, recycling brand new materials can also save a lot of energy.
Moreover, computers can be a source of valuable resources if treated properly. If not, they can be a true danger for humans and for the environment due to the toxic, carcinogens substances they contain. However, computer waste has grown together with the technological evolution, and it has become a real threat. Technological solutions for this problem are also available, but generally a legal framework, a collection system, logistics, and other services need to be implemented before putting them into practice.
Since it is a national matter too, the U.S Environmental Protection Agency got involved and promised to resolve the problem of 40 million spare PCs by the end of the year. In addition, the U.S. National Safety Council has estimated that 75% of computers sold in the last years have now become surplus electronics.
Furthermore, an important issue consists in the fact that most computers contain extremely dangerous substances, such as chromium, mercury, dioxins, polychlorinated biphenyls, cadmium, and radioactive isotopes.
Did you know that a regular computer monitor may contain more than 6% lead by weight, much of which is lead glass from the cathode ray tube? Smaller monitors have 1 kilo of lead, but the bigger ones can have even 4 kilos of lead. Also, the circuit boards contain large quantities of lead-tin soldiers that are prone to leach into groundwater or create air pollution, when incinerated.
Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment, also known as WEE, is a brand new legislature that was approved in the year 2007 and it supports recycling electronic systems. Based on a set of laws established by WEE, users are accountable for disposing, recycling, and storing computer safely. In order to support proper computer disposal, the US government has advised providers to maintain their charges as low as possible to facilitate affordability.