E-Waste Disposal

(Computer parts awaiting processing at a computer recycler)

If you have ever thought to yourself that things such as computers, printers, monitors, etc. do not last as long as they used to, you are not imagining things. It is true; according to a recent issue of the USA Today, electronics manufactured in 1997 had an average lifespan of 4-7 years. Today the average lifespan for most electronic equipment is 2 years.

What does that mean to us as a society? It means literally millions of pounds of computer junk will fall victim to the garbage truck's compactor and eventually end up buried in a landfill. This is a very bad thing to happen to the environment though as computer equipment is made up of more than 1,000 different materials, many of which are highly toxic, such as chlorinated and brominates substances, toxic gases, toxic metals, biologically active materials, acids, plastics, and plastic additives.

Many people do not realize the severity of this issue on the environment. Many computer parts such as monitors contain hazardous materials such as lead. The lead on a computer monitor is found in the lining of the glass tube. While only one computer may not have enough hazardous materials in it to harm the environment or you, imagine a large company located in one of our big cities in buildings reaching to the sky literally hundreds of feet into the air housing thousands of computers! Thousands of computers which will all one day falter and be added to the already overcrowded landfills. The good news is that computers are composed mostly of parts that are totally recyclable. The metal casing on the CPU itself is usually either aluminum or sheet metal. This material can be melted down and reused to make more computers. The motherboards are mostly plastic and contain some hazardous materials which can all be retrieved in an environmentally friendly method, and other materials that are considered hazardous can also be collected and reused in new computers.

Another good aspect to recycling old computers and parts, is that when shipping your waste to an approved and licensed E-Waste facility, the computers are first stripped of all good working parts such as motherboards, drives, A/C units before treatment of a computer begins. Hard drives storing information are NOT reused, these items are destroyed. This practice allows computer parts suppliers to actually have parts on hand to be able to repair old computers that some still wish to hang onto.

Overall recycling old computer parts is not only beneficial to the environment, but you as a consumer. By recycling old computer parts, new computers can be made using recycled materials instead of having to mine for new raw materials thus holding down production costs and keeping computer prices low.

ADCO Services only sends old computer parts to licensed and environmentally friendly recycling facilities and can offer pricing based on weight and a minimal transportation charge.

Call Today! (708) 429-1660

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