Electronic Waste: A Study Conducted by the Consumer Electronics Association

In February, the Consumer Electronics Association conducted a study about electronic waste, specifically to measure what U.S. households were doing with their CRT televisions and computer monitors.  For those that aren’t familiar with CRT – those are your old school televisions and computer screens.  With new and improved technology available at such low prices, these are commonly being replaced in homes throughout the country.  All it takes is one trip down the aisles of Walmart or Best Buy to see that you can get a big screen television for $500 which makes keeping an old one, less appealing.

The challenge has been what to do with these old units and how to keep them out of landfills. Before people became educated as to the dangers that throwing out electronic could pose, most people simply tossed them in the trash.  In fact, many electronic recycling programs that send electronics to Asia are still ending up in the trash or burned in local villages.  As a result, the rate of cancer in these areas has increased.  

Fortunately, educational programs in the U.S. have raised awareness, and more people are finding ways to recycle old devices that are not toxic to themselves or others.  This particular study demonstrates how far we have come from the days where electronic waste was more common than recycling.  They interviewed 1,023 adults to find out if they had any CRT glass in their home currently or if they had disposed of any within the past five years.  

They found that 44 percent of households disposed of a CRT television within the past five years and here is how they disposed of it.

• 45 percent gave it away
• 41 percent recycled it 
• The rest threw it away

The Consumer Electronics Association estimates that there are still 77 million CRT televisions in the United States and 30 million CRT computer monitors.  Combined, they could equal 7 billion pounds of CRT glass.  That is a staggering number, and if 20 percent of households threw their units away, that would represent 1.4 billion pounds of CRT glass ending up in landfills across the U.S. or overseas.  Additional education and programs need to be implemented in order to prevent this electronic waste from building up. 

As an electronic recycling company, we create easier ways for individuals and businesses to recycle so that they don’t have to throw things away.  We host recycling events in local communities where people can drop off their old devices that they no longer need.  Additionally, we make it easy for businesses to recycle by picking up old devices from their location.  Many of these are given to charities and even placed in local schools. 

 Depending on the type of device, we will fix it and repurpose it so that someone else can use it in their home.  In this way, we can give a new life to devices that would otherwise have no use.  The goal is to continue to educate and inform the general public as to ways they can recycle so that our planet doesn’t become full of electronic waste. 

Electronic Recycling and Keeping Your Information Secure

If you have an old computer, electronic recycling is an excellent way to give it a second life and keep it out of our landfills.  E-waste is a major problem throughout the world, and the parts that make up your computer can actually be fairly toxic.  In areas where they have been burning devices, for example, there is an increased risk of cancer, so it is important to find the proper way to dispose of your computer, rather than simply throwing it in the trash.  

We offer a variety of solutions that make it easy to recycle.  These include community drop off events, and we will even pick up devices from local businesses.  One common concern we hear from the community is whether or not their information will be secure.  There are several things you should do prior to getting rid of a computer that can help to keep your personal information private.

Follow these simple steps prior to making a donation:

• Back up your data.  Anything that you want or need like Word documents, Excel files, and photos needs to be backed up.  We recommend setting up a free Gmail account and uploading everything to Google drive.  This is a simple way to save your data on a regular basis, and you can access it from any computer with an internet connection.  You can also purchase an external hard drive and back everything up, but then you have to spend the money for an additional piece of equipment. 
• Wipe the drive.  You can do this fairly easily by re-installing Windows. Windows 8 users can go to PC Settings>>General>>Remove everything and reinstall Windows. If you have Windows 7 or older, consult your computer manual for the best way to do it.  You can also use a program that is designed to wipe your drive.  Just download it online.  The challenge with the route is that you will have to re-install the operating system if you plan on giving it to a friend or family member. 
• Remove sensitive files.  If you like, you can simply erase personal data using a program like Eraser for Windows.  You can pick and choose what to delete with this program.  The trick is to make sure that you don’t miss anything since whatever you do miss will still be available to view by whoever you give the computer to.
• Kill the hard drive.  If you have ever watched Office Space, you probably remember the scene where they take a hammer and kill the printer.  Many people feel like doing that from time to time with electronics that simply aren’t working like they should. If you have ever wanted to destroy your computer, you can.  It is still wise to delete the data first; then you can remove the hard drive, beat it up and still give away the computer shell at an electronic recycling event.   All you need is a small screwdriver to remove the back panel and the hard drive can be pulled right out. 

Decide which option is right for you based on what you are doing with the device.  If you are giving it away at one of our electronic recycling events, we can provide you with additional tips and information in person.