The world is facing an electronics waste management problem. According to Forbes, there are over one billion cell phones in use around the world. The average person replaces their phone every couple of years, and most throw the old phone in the trash. Factor in older laptops, tablets, and other electronic devices; many pieces of equipment end up in landfills after they stop working. With the number of devices in use nearing two billion, there needs to be a new approach to disposing of old electronics.
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Recycling to Promote a Cleaner Environment
The environment suffers from discarded electronic devices. Electronics contain materials like copper, lead, and mercury that break down over time, and these materials will leak into the environment and water streams. The environmental impact is the increasing landfill space required to house the electronics and the equipment degradation over time. The collective approach of millions of people throwing away their electronic devices within Florida alone contributes to the problem. An electronic recycling company in the Fort Lauderdale area can make the disposal process as easy as possible by offering no-cost drop-off or free pick-up service to recycle electronics to make our world a cleaner place.
Recycling to Promote the Reuse of Raw Materials
The high cost of cell phones and other devices results from the extensive manufacturing process. Mining raw materials from the Earth to make new electronics is becoming a more challenging process. Many states have shipped electronics waste to other countries over the past decades due to cost savings. The countries receiving the equipment have started to reject shipments of electronics waste due to space concerns. The states are looking at recycling as an option. When a device is recycled, the process reuses materials like steel, copper, and other components. The recycling impact reduces the process and reduces the energy and time required to build items from scratch. Altogether, recycling will reduce pollution, preserve the Earth’s raw materials, and result in fewer greenhouse gas emissions.
Recycling to Ensure the Destruction of Personal Data
Most people don’t think about deleting personal data left on the computer, phone, or other discarded electronic device. There are many stories of organized criminals in other countries going through hard drives of discarded computers for information used in online financial scams. Even if a person deletes all personal data from an electronic device, the sensitive data such as credit card or account information is retrievable. Recycling through a trusted partner destroys the hard drive and all sensitive information. After the work, customers receive a Certificate of Destruction.
There are many other overall benefits to recycling your electronics. For more information on recycling in Florida, reference the Florida Department of Environmental Protection website.
Read Also: How to Recycle Old Electronics Your Step by Step Guide