When companies upgrade their computers and electronic equipment, proper recycling of their obsolete equipment is not always a foremost consideration.
While over 59 million tons of e-waste were produced around the world in 2019, a mere 17% of these materials are recycled properly. This represents a huge volume of potentially hazardous materials being shipped to landfills or incinerated every day.
In this article we share the top seven reasons your company should consider properly recycling its computers and other electronic equipment.
1. Environmental Concerns
Perhaps the most pressing reason why computers and other electronics need to be responsibly recycled is the alternative: either sitting out in the open to deteriorate and leak various toxins into soil & water sources, or incineration which contributes to significant damage to the ozone layer.
E-waste contains significant amounts of toxic metals like lead, mercury, and cadmium. When these materials are released into reservoirs and soil, they can contaminate the food & water sources that humans & wildlife depend on, contributing to a plethora of adverse health conditions.
2. Protecting Worker Health
Computers need to be recycled responsibly in a way that protects worker health. In the hands of irresponsible firms, computers are often illegally shipped to developing countries. These often unregulated recycling facilities can cause serious health problems for their workers. Many countries are closing their borders to e-waste, and that (along with the laws that forbid international shipping of e-waste) means that recycling it stateside is even more important.
3. Recycling Valuable Materials
Many versatile materials from recycled computers and other electronics should be reused. Plastic, metals and glass from computers, monitors, and smartphones can be repurposed to manufacture new devices. Furthermore, recovering these materials before they enter landfills can save time, money and the environmental damage that results from modern mining techniques.
4. Data Security
Old computers & smartphones should be recycled carefully because they may contain sensitive personal and financial data. They may also contain proprietary company information and classified communications.
When recycling e-waste, it is vital to ensure that you choose an e-waste recycling firm that provides the assurance of thorough data destruction. The data wipes on the market are not proven to render information unrecoverable, and attempting to dismantle a drive can be highly dangerous to anyone who doesn’t know what they’re doing.
Partnering with a company is the only way to find peace of mind when it comes to your sensitive information: they perform US Department of Defense (DOD) standard wipes on hard drives and/or physical destruction of the drives through industrial data shredders to prevent your info from ending up in the wrong hands.
5. Reducing Material in Landfills
Reducing the volume of material found in landfills is an excellent reason to recycle old electronics. The amount of otherwise usable land devoted to dumping materials that will not degrade for thousands of years should be concerning to all of us as citizens of this planet.
Earth-conscious companies know that recycling their e-waste will help keep a significant amount of material out of landfills and incinerators, allowing valuable space to be dedicated to other uses … and most importantly, keeping harmful toxins away from our human & wildlife friends.
6. Legal Obligations
Over 25 states have strict laws that mandate electronics recycling. These laws are in place to improve environmental safety, and companies that fail to properly dispose of their e-waste could face substantial fines and damage to their reputation that they may never recover from.
While most of the financial burden of recycling computers and other electronics falls on the manufacturer, states like California have consumer fee laws. If recycling is not performed, manufacturers and their customers could be left vulnerable to fines or other court actions.
7. It’s the Right Thing to Do
When companies do not recycle their computers and other electronic equipment, they contribute to the environmental challenges that nations around the world have been attempting to address. Every company needs to take responsibility for its impact on the environment and public health. It is every company’s social and environmental obligation to recycle its materials properly.
Computer Recycling Works for Everyone
The benefits of computer recycling are significant and well worth the relatively small amount of effort. The waste stream becomes less of a burden on the planet, health risks to the public & wildlife are reduced, reusable materials (metal, plastic & glass) get a new lease on life, and information security is assured by the thorough data destruction process of an experienced recycling firm.
When you partner with a trustworthy firm, you can feel good about doing your part to improve our planet in all the aforementioned categories. Not only that, but with their knowledgeable approach to e-waste recycling & collection, it allows your company to focus on daily operations and system upgrades without the concern of obsolete equipment taking up valuable office space.
These seven pressing reasons to recycle can help to guide companies like yours toward socially and environmentally responsible practices.
