Recycling Electronics: Benefits and Gains

Old radios, almost a shame to recycle them! (Image via free use)

Recycling is a movement that took off in the 1970s, but people have been recycling for thousands of years. Initially, early Americans recycled because goods were rare, and products could not be made cheaper and faster like they are today. People recycled and reused every piece of metal, every container, every piece of clothing, etc. Today, thanks to the industrial revolution, the manufacturing of goods is at a peek volume. However, from single-use items to items that could be used for a lifetime, humans have become good at throwing things away. Therefore, creating a problem of waste management, especially for items that are made with plastic. Luckily, electronics can be recycled; and doing so could put money in the pockets of both the makers and the users.

Among the reasons recycling electronics is a good idea - collecting of precious metals. It will surprise a lot of people to know that there is gold inside their cellphones or televisions. A report from the Environment Protection Agency revealed that every time one million cellphones are recycled 75 pounds of gold are collected, as well as more than 35,000 pounds of copper, over 700 pounds of silver, and 30 pounds of palladium. Electronics hide many essential materials, and even though some of them cannot be recycled, the metals can be melted and reused in new electronics. Those recycled pieces are materials the manufacturing companies won’t need to buy or mine again. The process of recycling, therefore, saves a lot of money to those companies.

To encourage electronics users to recycle their used devices, some recycling facilities or even electronics manufacturers are willing to pay for every device returned for recycling. On the other hand, some companies don’t reward users for recycling their used devices. Probably because recycling requires a lot of energy, and it must cost to disassemble the devices before collecting the pieces that are intact.

A few retail chains participate in the recycling of electronics. These companies accept used devices because they know how to handle them till the recycling facility. Among those stores are Best Buy, Office Depot and Staples. Each of them is specialized in the handling of different items. For example, Staples does not accept old televisions like Best Buy would. Plus, each company has its set of rules applicable to its services. For example, Staples Rewards members are allowed to bring up to 20 empty ink cartridges per month, and they will be rewarded $2 for each cartridge. Meanwhile, even though Office Depot offers the same deal for the ink cartridges, the company won’t recycle used devices for free. Office Depot offers different sizes of recycling box for customers to buy and pack their devices themselves.

Some manufacturers such as Amazon, HP, or Dell also offer recycling services. For most of them, customers can go on the company’s website, register the device and print a shipping label to send the used device back to the makers. There is no payment involved here, but the shipping is completely covered by the company; the customers don’t spend a dime in this process.

In the particular case of cellphones, recycling is not the only option to get rid of used devices. There are a few companies that are specialized in refurbishing cellphones to resell them. There are machines like ecoATM designed to evaluate the cost of the used cellphones and pay the customers in exchange. There are also websites like Gazelle where customers can have their devices appraised and get paid once Gazelle receives the devices.

No matter the route chosen, it is important for consumers to know that recycling in general is for the benefits of all. And, for those who still don’t see the value, a few states have laws in place against careless disposal of electronics. For example, in California, Illinois or Vermont both businesses and individuals will be punished if they are caught throwing electronics in the garbage.

Have a story tip? Message me at: cabe(at)element14(dot)com

http://twitter.com/Cabe_Atwell