How to Dispose of E-Waste the Right Way

In today’s age of tech, everywhere you look, there is a smartphone, computer, or appliance making our lives more convenient. The impact these devices have bettered our lives overall, but when not disposed of correctly, the consequences hurt our planet. E-Waste is an environmental hazard that many of us don’t realize is harming our world every day, but there are steps we can take to learn more about this issue and do our part to prevent it.

E-Waste You Might Have Around the House

The digital revolution the world has experienced over the past 20 years alone has generated a staggering amount of e-waste. With a new iPhone or Samsung tablet released every year, the sudden rise in outdated electronics has created a lot of waste. But, remember, waste doesn’t mean broken or unusable.

Electronics that are no longer of use are part of the e-waste category and could include devices, such as:

• Cell phones
• Computers
• Printers and copy machines
• Televisions
• Appliances
• Devices containing electrical components

By the numbers, the world produces between 20 to 50 million metric tons of e-waste annually, and American landfills currently hold 2% of that figure. The EPA closely monitors the large number of toxic chemicals that result from improper disposal of old electronics and recently found that only about 12% of these items get recycled.

How Dangerous is E-Waste?

When you toss e-waste into a dumpster rental or a burn pile in the backyard, you may not realize just how many volatile materials are in that old hard drive you pitched. Electrical components made of many different chemicals qualify as hazardous. When left to rot in a landfill or incinerated, you risk leaching these toxic substances into the environment.

Some of the dangerous materials in your favorite smartphone or appliance include:

• Mercury
• Lead
• Hexavalent chromium
• Cadmium
• Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
• Brominated flame retardants

In addition to these chemicals, the actual e-waste items don’t break down or biodegrade while sitting in a landfill. They will continue to take up valuable ground space and last nearly indefinitely!

Worse, many of us don’t consider the security risks when tossing out a hard drive with the regular garbage. We usually assume that it will not work correctly after enduring the elements, and this is the furthest from the truth. Imagine all the personal data that gets stolen off old phones and laptops found in dumpsters and garbage trucks!

How You Can Reduce E-Waste

Educating yourself on e-waste is a solid first step since most of us didn’t realize it even existed. Another necessary action to take is learning where you can recycle your unwanted or broken electronics. Finally, share this information! Knowledge is power and can go a long way in changing our approach to how we deal with the trash we produce.

E-Waste Can Be Charitable

One man’s junk is another man’s treasure. Whether your old electronic device is functioning or not, contact a local charity organization. They might want it and work with community business partners to get it repaired and resold.

Be Responsible When Disposing of E-Waste

No matter how old the device is, you can’t just throw it in a dumpster with your everyday kitchen trash. Try Googling local waste centers that accept electronics. You can also call your local trash service. Many times they will have resources that can direct you to nearby recycling centers that accept e-waste.

Don’t Forget a Dumpster Rental for Everything Else

When cleaning out your attic or old home office, you might realize you have quite the collection of printers, monitors, and other equipment in addition to old papers, file folders, and everything else. Make life a bit easier with a full-service Athens area dumpster rental for your non-e-waste items so that you only have to worry about taking outdated equipment to your local charity or recycling center.

Bin There Dump That makes dumpster rentals a breeze for your residential project plans. We will save you time and money with a large selection of roll-off sizes for any size job out there. From the moment you call us to make a reservation until we do a final sweep up after hauling it all out, our team of professionals is here to make the rental process simple and straightforward.

Call us at 770-932-2838 to learn more about our dumpster options and reserve yours today or reach us online here. Visit our blog for additional tips and tricks to maximize the benefits of your dumpster rental experience!

Remember to use Bin There Dump That for all your dumpster needs.