Reasons to recycle old computer parts and e-waste
Recycling is more than having a few bins for your cardboard, paper, plastic or glass waste. There are many materials and products that can be and must be recycled, this is especially important for electronic components that we can find in all king of devices like, old computers, TVs, mobile phones, keyboards, DVD players, sound systems, etc.
With over 2.5 million purchases per year, Australians are among the highest consumers of electronic devices and new technologies in the world. We are used to upgrading our devices ever so often and usually not knowing how to properly dispose of our old ones. Making electronic waste or e-waste an important issue we will deal with for many years to come. So here are the Top 5 reasons to recycle old computer parts and e-waste.
1. Computers and electronic devices contain hazardous materials that are toxic to the environment and humans alike. Substances like cadmium, mercury, chromium and lead among others, are extremely dangerous to the environment and the public health if they are not disposed of properly.
2. Source of valuable materials. In contrast, computer parts and e-waste have great potential to become a great source to recover non-renewable resources like tin, nickel, zinc, copper and even gold. According to the United Nations, these precious metals are estimated to be 50 times richer than ores mined from the earth.
third world countries
3. Our e-waste may end up in third world countries. When old computer parts and e-waste are not disposed of by a certified electronics recycler there is a high probability that it will go to third world countries. In these countries the legislation is not strict enough to address the environmental issues, hazardous chemicals will seep into water supplies and e-waste will be burned in open-air fires in order to recover precious metals releasing dangerous gases and chemicals that pollute the air.
4. Take care of your own community. If you throw away your e-waste or old computer parts in the general waste bin it may end up in local landfills of your own community polluting the nearby environment and putting in risk the health of the workers handling it as they do not expect or are not trained to handle the hazardous materials in these devices.
5. Protect your confidential data. Each time you throw away any device with valuable information you are putting your company and yourself at risk of a potential data breach and are extremely susceptible to information theft. It does not matter if you have deleted all the files or have formatted the device beforehand. When you have chosen a certified electronics recycler you can rest assured that your identity and information will be secured.
Intershred is a secure destruction agency that cares about the environment, we will take care of your electronic devices and dispose of them in a safe and environmentally friendly way.
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