Many companies, business owners, and purchasing managers like to start the New Year by upgrading employee electronics, like:
- computers
- laptops
- monitors
- cell phones
Replacing outdated electronics with newer models can make employees more efficient and productive – but what is the cost to the community at large for these upgrades? You may be wondering what kind of cost there could possibly be to the community when the company is the one spending the money for new equipment?
But old electronics need to go somewhere and without proper electronic recycling, there is a definite cost to the environment.
Here are some interesting facts that socially conscious business owners should be aware of:
- Only 12.5% of e-waste is recycled.
- For every 1 million cell phones that are recycled, 35,274 lbs of copper, 772 lbs of silver, 75 lbs of gold, and 33 lbs of palladium can be recovered.
- Recycling 1 million laptops saves the energy equivalent to the electricity used by 3,657 U.S. homes in a year.
- E-waste is still the fastest growing municipal waste stream in America, according to the EPA.
- A large number of what is labeled as “e-waste” is actually not waste at all, but rather whole electronic equipment or parts that are readily marketable for reuse or can be recycled for materials recovery.
- It takes 539 lbs of fossil fuel, 48 lbs of chemicals, and 1.5 tons of water to manufacture one computer and monitor.
These facts were taken from DoSomething.org, an organization that rallies young people to get involved in campaigns for change. The article was entitled “11 Facts About E-Waste” and you will find the sources for all the facts on their page.
The youth of America aren’t the only ones who should be challenged to make changes – business owners are natural leaders in their communities and should take the lead in proper electronic recycling. Businesses really can have their new electronics and be good stewards of the environment and it’s an easy way to promote goodwill in the community!
By partnering with our sister company, Living Green Recycling, we are able to offer cost effective (and sometimes, free) electronic recycling to our data destruction customers – because you definitely want to be sure you are getting proper data destruction whenever you recycle your electronics – don’t do one without the other! Contact us to find out how you can get electronic recycling set up in your company and start the New Year by being environmentally responsible.