What the Heck Is E-Waste, and How Do You Get Rid of It?
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Admit it: Hiding in your home’s junk drawer is an ancient flip phone that composed your very first text. Deep in the bowels of your hall closet is your long-dormant, 2002-era PC clone. And down in your basement? You’ve likely stashed a clunky TV plus a DVD/VHS player (for that sweet VHS collection you’re also hoarding).
This stuff is called e-waste, and according to the Environmental Protection Agency, it’s the fastest-growing municipal waste stream in America. But only 25% of the estimated 2.37 million tons of electronics we’ve chucked so far was properly recycled—which is a dirty shame, because there are valuable materials (hello, gold!) in all those tiny circuits, as well as toxic elements like mercury that seep into the soil and contaminate groundwater.
All of which means that ethical homeowners should learn the right way to get rid of e-waste. Try these steps in lieu of just chucking your defunct gadgets in the garbage—then pat yourself on the back for doing your small part to clean up the world.
Apple also has its own buy-back plan, which enables customers to return electrical products in decent condition either in store or online. The tech giant will then make sure that your old item is either recycled responsibly, or repurposed to make a new product.
And for the real dinosaurs…
Face it, you’re going to make precisely $0 selling your pager, 1990s fax machine, or home phone. TerraCycle’s Recycling Program offers a sustainable solution to this growing problem with an E-Waste Zero Waste Box Program. Simply buy a Zero Waste Box (the smallest, at 10 inches by 10 inches by 18 inches, costs $82), collect your outdated junk and ship it to TerraCycle for recycling. Apart from decluttering your digs, you can enjoy the satisfaction of having done at least a small good deed for the environment.