America Recycles Day, a program of Keep America Beautiful, is a nationally recognized day dedicated to promoting and celebrating recycling in the United States. On this day, everyone is encouraged to spread the word about the benefits of recycling and to practice recycling themselves.
We would like to use this day to help spread more information about the importance of electronics recycling!
Did you know that electronic waste is the fastest growing waste stream globally?
This is due to both the shortened lifespan of our electronic devices and society’s demands for the newest high-tech products.
Did you know that there are more cell phones than there are people on Earth?
For most consumers, out of sight and out of mind is the status quo. However, these devices do not just disappear. Most consumers don’t know where their old, thrown out devices really end up.
It is estimated this waste stream reached 48.5 million tuns in 2018. Most of that waste comes from Europe and the United States and ends up in places like Nigeria and Hong Kong, which suffer the human and economic costs of disposing of the material.
The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that only 15 to 20 percent of e-waste is recycled, the rest of these electronics go directly into landfills, incinerators and are illegally exported to developing countries. This is dangerous because most electronic components possess toxic elements, including lead, beryllium, polyvinyl chloride and mercury. All these materials are extremely toxic to the environment and humans. This is why it is important to properly recycle your electronics.
Our electronics recycling process is simple. We collect recyclable electronics, then the e-waste is delivered to our sorting station where we disassemble the components. After we render your data completely unreadable, we sort the metals, plastics, and other materials. Electronic devices contain mercury, lead and other harmful materials that can poison the soil, water, and air if burned or buried in a landfill. That’s why we strive to be a zero-landfill company and avoid incineration. Learn more here!
How can you help?
Commit to America Recycles Day’s pledge reduce, reuse, recycle, and buy recycled. Take the #BERECYCLED pledge!
Recycle your e-waste with us! Visit one of our many conveniently located drop off locations.
Educate yourself on other hard-to-recycle items with Keep Toledo/Lucas County Beautiful Recycler’s List!