EcoLocalizer

A friend recently mentioned that until last week, she had no idea how important it was to properly dispose of computers, printers, TVs and other electronic or “e-waste”.

Seems like she’s not alone. According to the California Integrated Waste Management Board, e-waste is one of the fastest growing segments of our waste stream.

Like everything else, you should approach e-waste with the Reduce-Reuse-Recycle hierarchy in mind.

• Reduce: lessen the amount of equipment that you buy through proper maintenance. Consider updating computers instead of buying new ones.
• Reuse: refurbish equipment, or donate working items to schools or other charities to extend their life (make sure to ask if your donation is eligible for a tax deduction).
• Recycle: as a last resort, items that are no longer usable may be recycled.

It’s this last bit that many people don’t know how to handle: an estimated 75% of outdated electronics are being stored, in part because people don’t know what to do with them.

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Some products include hazardous materials, like the cathode ray tubes (CRTs) found in monitors and TVs. In some industries, like computers, manufacturers have begun to take responsibility for the entire life-cycle of their products, and now accept their own outdated machines for recycling. You may even get a credit towards a new computer.

Otherwise, there are many recycling centers and services happy to take your e-waste. One of the best resources for finding a local center or service is Earth911.org.

Here in LA, try the County’s Department of Public Works. The site let’s you select the type of material that you’d like to recycle, including e-waste, and provides listings for recycling services. It’s so easy, there’s no excuse not to.

Photo credit: millionmonkey on Flickr under a Creative Commons license

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