Landfill Issues

Currently about 85% of unwanted electronics go into landfills in the United States. This is a huge problem because they contain toxic materials such as lead, cadmium, beryllium and a variety of other materials that are will ultimately leach out of landfills. Although electronics only represent about 3 or 4 percent of the waste stream, they contribute 70% of the heavy metals contained in landfills. It is also the fastest growing component of the waste stream, and anything we can do to slow down the filling of landfills is a worthwhile endeavor.

Source of Raw Materials

Not only is it important to keep this waste stream out of landfills, but electronics are also an environmentally friendly source of raw materials. Electronics contain gold, silver, palladium and a variety of other valuable materials, and extracting these materials from recycled electronics saves huge amounts of energy and terrain destroying mining. Electronics recycling is considered eco-friendly “urban mining.”

Limit Your Liability

Dumping your electronics in landfills or handing it over to unscrupulous or unreliable recyclers can expose you to potential serious liabilities and even criminal prosecution. A variety of Security Regulations govern how corporations and institutions are required to safeguard customers’ or patients’ personal information. Additionally, improper disposal of electronics can expose your organization to liability for the environmental hazards posed by these materials.

Legislation

A number of initiatives are in the works or already written into the law to keep electronics out of landfills. In Illinois for example, the Electronic Products Recycling and Reuse Act stipulates that as of January 1, 2012, landfills will no longer accept electronic waste. As we move forward there will be more laws regulating the disposal of electronics, so now is the time establish relationships with responsible recyclers like ECOTRONIX.