Getting rid of oldelectronics can be very easy – stick them in the garbage and forget about them.Yet many people don't realize that electronic waste, also known as e-waste, isa serious and growing problem for the environment.
E-waste is a catchall termthat refers to all forms of electronics. It includes things such as desktopcomputers, laptops, tablets, mobiles, televisions, games consoles, cable boxes,chargers and more.Unlike many forms ofgarbage, electronic waste is not biodegradable. Although electronics oftenbecome inoperable, they only break down over time to a limited extent.The sheer amount of e-wasteis difficult to wrap your head around. About 50 million tons of e-waste ends up in landfills each year. Ifevery piece of e-waste we produce in a year was laid end-to-end, it would belong enough to encircle the earth seventeen times!E-waste can be highly toxic.E-waste is about 2% of the waste that goes to landfills, but it makes up about70% of toxic waste. For example, cases of leadtoxicity are very common in communities close to dumps of e-waste. Lead is oneof the most widely used metals in electronics manufacturing, and itcontaminates soil and groundwater as e-waste (slowly) breaks down. Cadmium isalso released over time as e-waste breaks down. While this chemical elementmakes up a small proportion of components in e-waste, even tiny quantities cancause serious damage to the kidneys. Brominated Flame Retardants (BRFs) arewidespread in e-waste and give rise to serious hormonal disorders. E-waste alsooften contains potentially toxic substances such as polychlorinated biphenyls(PCBs), copper and arsenic.Although most oldelectronics are simply thrown away, a large majority of these devices can beprofitably reused in whole or in part in newer electronics. Yet unfortunately,only about 15% of electronics are recycled. Recycling e-waste is notjust about ensuring that people living near e-waste don't suffer from healthproblems. It is also extremely important for reasons of ecological efficiency.For example, manufacturing a typical desktop computer takes about four times asmuch energy (measured in fossil fuels and electricity) as the computer uses inits entire lifetime.It also makes a lot of sensefrom an economic perspective. Every ton of cell phones recycled contains about$15,000 of precious metals. Storage King takesenvironmental stewardship seriously. We want to make it as easy as possible forour customers to get rid of your old electronics. We're working with ourpartners at Ecoactiv and Mobile Muster to recycle as much as we can together. In recognition of WorldEnvironmental Day on the 5th of June, any customer who spends $50 ormore at Storage King in May will receive a free box for e-waste from us. Youcan drop it off at your local Storage King and we will arrange for yourelectronics to be recycled free of charge.
E-waste is a catchall termthat refers to all forms of electronics. It includes things such as desktopcomputers, laptops, tablets, mobiles, televisions, games consoles, cable boxes,chargers and more.
Unlike many forms ofgarbage, electronic waste is not biodegradable. Although electronics oftenbecome inoperable, they only break down over time to a limited extent.
The sheer amount of e-wasteis difficult to wrap your head around. About 50 million tons of e-waste ends up in landfills each year. Ifevery piece of e-waste we produce in a year was laid end-to-end, it would belong enough to encircle the earth seventeen times!
E-waste can be highly toxic.E-waste is about 2% of the waste that goes to landfills, but it makes up about70% of toxic waste.
For example, cases of leadtoxicity are very common in communities close to dumps of e-waste. Lead is oneof the most widely used metals in electronics manufacturing, and itcontaminates soil and groundwater as e-waste (slowly) breaks down. Cadmium isalso released over time as e-waste breaks down. While this chemical elementmakes up a small proportion of components in e-waste, even tiny quantities cancause serious damage to the kidneys. Brominated Flame Retardants (BRFs) arewidespread in e-waste and give rise to serious hormonal disorders. E-waste alsooften contains potentially toxic substances such as polychlorinated biphenyls(PCBs), copper and arsenic.
Although most oldelectronics are simply thrown away, a large majority of these devices can beprofitably reused in whole or in part in newer electronics. Yet unfortunately,only about 15% of electronics are recycled.
Recycling e-waste is notjust about ensuring that people living near e-waste don't suffer from healthproblems. It is also extremely important for reasons of ecological efficiency.For example, manufacturing a typical desktop computer takes about four times asmuch energy (measured in fossil fuels and electricity) as the computer uses inits entire lifetime.
It also makes a lot of sensefrom an economic perspective. Every ton of cell phones recycled contains about$15,000 of precious metals.
Storage King takesenvironmental stewardship seriously. We want to make it as easy as possible forour customers to get rid of your old electronics. We're working with ourpartners at Ecoactiv and Mobile Muster to recycle as much as we can together.
In recognition of WorldEnvironmental Day on the 5th of June, any customer who spends $50 ormore at Storage King in May will receive a free box for e-waste from us. Youcan drop it off at your local Storage King and we will arrange for yourelectronics to be recycled free of charge.
