Photo from Pexels

Originally Posted On: https://aleciaallanvanderbilt.org/2024/07/18/alecia-allan-vanderbilt-oh-lovable-e-waste/

If there were an award for the most boring emails ever received, I would probably win it!
As the head of one of the largest electronics recycling divisions in the nation, most of my emails involve…you guessed it, e-waste. Let the snoozing commence…lol!

I often jock with the many people I work with that e-waste is the most forgettable part of
everyone’s day. And I’m pretty sure the joke absolutely nails the truth.
But when we stop and look into our hands or our pockets, purses, desk, or even getting our coffee at Starbucks, electronics are all around us. Like air and gravity, it’s just there existing and sometimes we forget it’s even there.

I am here to shine more of light on this little paid attention to recycling stream. And maybe, if we are lucky, we might even get introduced to some heroes in this epic tale of electronics and their end of days.
There are a lot of things I love about electronics.

First, I love that 100% of electronics are valuable recyclables. Its not like plastic that can be hot and then not. Its pretty much always “en vouge” for everything its made of to be recycled.
Second, it’s really really easy to be able to identify e-waste. Other recycling streams have so
many variables on if its is or isn’t recyclable. But with e-waste…if it has a plug in it, or electricity runs through it…98% of the time, its e-waste.

With that said let me elaborate on number 2 as I promise you, my inbox is filled everyday with the question…is this e-waste. And so here we are with this article.
Here is an easy list of e-waste that you will find in your pocket, your desk, your home and office:

• Computers, laptops, servers, cell phones, desk phones, regular land line phones, ring lights, all printers, chargers, wires, TV’s, internet routers…etc.
• Bag of wires? E-Waste
• Laser Machines?: E-Waste
• Ultrasound Machine? : You guessed it…e-waste

All the incredible technology that is all around us, once it’s dying, dead, or just being replaced, is then ready to be recycled and it’s easy to identify what recycling stream it should be a part of.
Now I know what you’re thinking….but what about just throwing it out?

And yes, sometimes the ease of it is so tempting…but know this…70-80% of our landfill
hazardous waste is created by the electronics that are being put into the landfill.

When all these extremely valuable and precious metals and materials start to decompose
together it creates a toxic concoction that only rivals that of the comic books. And we see what comes of all the green toxic ooze there?!

But all jokes aside, we are not doing anyone any favors by throwing it out. So when you are
ready to get rid of it; company, person, robot pretending to be a person (ps. You’re not following anybody, “Carl”) please be sure to recycle it.

Alecia, you said there would be heroes…
Yes, I did. But you’ll just have to tune into the next episode to find out more about them.