Image from TDR Recycling
*I want to preface this post by saying that in no way do I consider myself an expert on matters of this type. Rather, I consider myself a concerned citizen of the world. I do a lot of reading, that’s all. My hope is to help raise the question in your mind and encourage you to do some reading of your own and hopefully, encourage you to Shift You Habit.
Have you ever thrown away an old laptop, tv or cords/wires for electronics you no longer use? Have you ever wondered what happens to those items when they go to the landfill?
“The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that as much as three-quarters of the computers sold in the United States are stockpiled in garages and closets. When thrown away, they end up in landfills or incinerators or, more recently, are exported to Asia1.”
Take a look at these e-waste diagrams to get an idea for where your e-waste may end up:
© UNEP
Click here to read a GREENPEACE article titled “Where does e-waste go?”
This post came from yesterday’s incidence of a dying electric toothbrush. I could not even bring myself to throw it away, so I had to find somewhere that I could recycle it.
If you have an electric product that you no longer want/use that is still in working condition, consider selling it on Craig’s List or listing it on ebay. If you’re not concerned with selling it how about giving it away? Consider the Goodwill, Salvation Army or Freecycle.
Here are some other helpful websites:
If you live on the West Coast, more specifically in the San Francisco Bay Area, consider using TDR Electronic Recycling to dispose of your e-Waste.
Below is a list of acceptable items that you can bring/send to TDR:
Battery Back-up Systems
Cables, Cords and Wires
CD’s
Cell Phones and Accessories
Components
Computers
Copy Machines Floor
Digital Cameras
Docking Stations
Fax Machines
Flash Drives
Hard Drives
Head Sets
High Voltage Equipment
I-Pods
Lab Electronics
Laptop Computers & Accessories
Medical Electronics
Message Machines
Microchips/components
Microphones
Microwaves
Modems
Monitors
MP3 Players
Network Equipment
Optical Drives
Palm Pilots and PDAs
PC Accessories
PC Boards
PC Cameras
Peripherals
Phone Systems
Printers (all)
Printers Large Floor
Power Supplies
RF Equipment
Routers
Servers
Telephone Equipment
Test Equipment
This list is always growing, so if you do not see an item that you would like recycled on the list, contact TDR by phone by calling:
(510) 683-9622
(877) 356-2771
I called and asked if they took electronic toothbrushes and their chargers and they do. So I will be mailing in my dead Oral B electronic toothbrush. I couldn’t even swallow the thought of just throwing it into the garbage. It would go to the landfill and do what? Absolutely nothing.
Items can be mailed to the following address:
TDR Electronic Recycling, LLC
45461 Fremont Blvd, #3
Fremont, CA 94538
It’s your planet. Small shifts can make a big difference.
1. Statistic taken from Greenpeace.org
Come on…don’t copy- get your own material. Nobody likes a cheater! Original & Hand Written Plagiarism Will Be Detected. This site is being monitored by CopyGator. Mmkay? Thanks.
Hi Dawana, great post! First of all, I wanted to share a couple of national recycling sites for readers outside your area. PC Disposal and
e-Waste Recycling. It’s the same organization, but the first site is more computer-focused and the other can handle any ewaste. (Full disclosure, a friend of mine works there).
Second of all, I wanted to warn your readers about recyclers that take their ewaste for free. As it was explained to me, taking equipment for free doesn’t make any economic sense for the recycler because the more they take, the more
money they’d lose due to the costs of breaking this stuff down and recycling it.
So how can they offer it for free? What ends up happening is they sell the equipment that still has value and then dump the rest either overseas or in landfills. Personally, I don’t like the idea of having to pay just to get rid of
something, but it’s better than having it end up in the places you mentioned above.
I have an old laptop sitting in my garage waiting for me to make something out of it. So, I guess it’s not really recycling since I haven’t done anything with it yet!
Valerie´s last [type] ..National Ice Cream Day
LOL No Val, That’s not recycling. Try and find somewhere in the Bay Area that recycles e-waste, I’m sure there’s somewhere there.
xo