Do you know what's in your E-waste?

At the rate that technology advances, computers, TV's, cell phones, and other electronics become obsolete faster than ever before. Most of us upgrade our cell phone every two years, just to keep up with the latest and greatest tech trends. But what should you do with your old cell phone?  If you're like me, you have collection of them in a shoe box and you don't really know what to do with them. If you're like a lot of people, you may have chucked that old phone in the wastebasket and moved on with your life. Either way, we are all faced with what to do with these objects that no longer benefit us. Fortunately, there is an answer. If you can't donate the phone, laptop, etc. to an organization that will find your item a new and deserving home, you must find a way to recycle it.

Did you know that our electronic devices contain highly valuable metals? In fact, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), for every 1 million cell phones recycled, we can recover 5,274 pounds of copper, 772 pounds of silver, 75 pounds of gold and 33 pounds of palladium. In addition we must consider the plastic and glass components they also contain. All of these resources require mining or manufacturing which can cause pollution and destruction of the environment. Recycling these items conserves natural resources that are exploited during the process. In addition, we are keeping toxins, such as cadmium, mercury and lead from landfills where they can leach into the ground, contaminating water sources and threatening communities as well as threatening the health of workers that may improperly handle these toxic items. Any way you look at it, it's easy to see that tossing electronic items like cell phones in the trash is not a responsible decision. Before your next upgrade, find a local E-waste recycling center to take care of that old cell phone or laptop.

Check out this link to find an e-waste recycling center near you: www.ecyclingcentral.com