A lot of innovation and engineering know-how goes into the technology that makes the world go ’round, such as our computers, mobile phones, TVs, printers, and medical testing equipment. A lot of other things go into them, too. Maybe you have heard of some of them: lead, mercury, cadmium, and chromium.
Newtech Recycling knows how dangerous electronic waste, or e-waste, can be. Improperly disposed tech creates 50 million metric tons of e-waste environmental pollution annually. At Newtech Recycling, we aim to provide safe, easy, and affordable solutions to help people rid themselves of their unwanted devices without contributing to the ongoing e-waste crisis.
At our New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection-approved facilities, our recycling e-waste process uses specialized machinery to break down electronic devices into parts that can be reused for manufacturing new technology. This not only provides valuable industry resources but also helps keep toxic substances out of landfills, which in turn helps keep them out of our soil, air, water, and bodies.
Just how steep is the global cost of irresponsibly discarded electronics? You might be surprised by the answer to that question. Read on to learn more about how e-waste is harming our world.
The Monetary Cost of E-Waste
Let’s start with the monetary cost of e-waste, which, while arguably its least horrifying byproduct, is no less shocking. Studies show that Americans throw away more than $55 billion worth of valuable tech components yearly, and that’s because many electronics contain precious metals in addition to toxic materials.
For example, due to its utility as an electrical conductor, an estimated 7% of the world’s gold is found in discarded e-waste. Conversely, e-waste recycling can recover 75 pounds of gold from just one million cell phones, in addition to 772 pounds of silver and 35,000 pounds of copper. That’s a lot of money that would otherwise be rotting away in our garbage dumps for no good reason.
The Environmental Cost of E-Waste
How does e-waste impact the environment? On the ground, the heavy metals in many tech devices sink into the soil and take decades to deteriorate. They are absorbed by plants that either die off or become poisonous to the animals who eat them. When submerged in water, contaminants dissolve and trigger acidification, disrupting fragile marine ecosystems and rendering fresh water undrinkable.
Finally, in the air, toxic particles released by decaying e-waste can travel thousands of miles on currents of wind, spreading the pollution far beyond the immediate area. In other words, no “localized” e-waste pollution exists, and every improperly discarded device has far-reaching consequences.
The Health Cost of E-Waste
In China, there is a town called Guiyu which, despite its small size, has become one the most extensive dumping grounds for discarded technology worldwide. Thanks to cheap local labor and a lack of regulatory e-waste laws, approximately 100 truckloads of broken computers, smartphones, tablets, televisions, copy machines, and other devices were being imported into Guiyu daily.
Soon, the soil could no longer support crops, and the air became dark with smog and smoke. Many residents developed severe respiratory, digestive, and neurological illnesses, including cancer. Roughly 80% of all area children suffered from lead poisoning, and miscarriage rates skyrocketed. While China has recently made efforts to reverse the devastation of Guiyu, it remains a sobering warning of how toxic e-waste is.
Learn How to Recycle E-Waste at Newtech
Every year brings a new must-have phone, TV set, or computer. With discarded electronics posing a significant threat to the world in so many ways, we all need to do what we can to push back against this growing crisis. It’s not just our economy and environment at stake, it’s also our lives.
That’s why Newtech Recycling offers secure e-waste disposal services in New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania. We aim to recover and reuse 99% of all materials that enter our facilities. That’s why Newtech Recycling is recognized by the EPA and certified under the ISO 14001 international standard and the electronic recycling industry’s leading certification, the R2:2013 standard.
Contact Newtech Recycling to start recycling e-waste today!