Electronic Waste

The use of electronic products has grown substantially over the past two decades, changing the way and the speed in which we communicate and how we get information and entertainment. According to the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), Americans now own approximately 24 electronic products per household.

Unwanted electronic devices should be reused or recycled. Computers, monitors, televisions and other electronic equipment should NOT be disposed of with regular garbage. Functioning electronics can be sold or donated thereby prolonging their useful life. Nonfunctioning electronics that cannot be repaired should be recycled by an organization qualified to do so.

Donating used electronics for reuse extends the lives of valuable products. Recycling electronics prevents valuable materials from going into the waste stream. Consumers now have many options to recycle or donate for reuse their used electronics. Many computer, TV, and cell phone manufacturers, as well as electronics retailers offer some kind of take back program or sponsor recycling events.

Important Reminder: Many electronic products (computers, cell phones, PDAs, etc) are used to store personal information. Before donating or recycling your equipment, remember to remove all sensitive and personal information from its memory. Note that simply using your keyboard or mouse to delete files does not necessarily completely remove the information from your device’s memory. Your local software store can provide you with the necessary drive cleaning software appropriate for your system.