Eco Business

Eco Technologies - Thanks to our inventors and innovators new technologies are creating new possibilities in the way we live and the choices we can make. Well designed technological solutions can solve problems, save money and time, and have a positive impact on our environment all at the same time. Here SLM looks at these new technologies and what impacts they are likely to have on our society and our planet.

Recycling Electronic Equipment

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Written by Contributor

Recycling Electronic Equipment - Unused, outdated, and otherwise unwanted electronic equipment is taking up a large part of the country's landfills. These mostly plastic and metal machines are not biodegradable, certainly non-compostable, and therefore, will remain relatively intact, potentially for generations to come, as they slowly oxidize away. But rust and a lot of other byproducts of this slow, mechanical crawl to oblivion are toxic—bad for the environment, bad for soil they eke into, the water they spill into, the air they blow through. And that's bad for us. With that in mind, recycling electronic equipment is not just an option for individuals and businesses ridding themselves of old machines; it's an imperative!
Consider the following frightening facts about the electronic machines we throw away:

A few older and defective computers, CRT monitors and a television.

Computer cathode ray tubes (CRT) contain approximately 4 pounds of lead.

A typical television or computer monitor contains about 5 pounds of lead.

Cell phones contain antimony, beryllium, copper, nickel, arsenic, cadmium, lead, and zinc.

Millions of toner cartridges from copy machines, fax machines, and printers are dumped into landfills each year, at a rate of about eight per second. And it takes one whole gallon of oil to produce the plastic in a single toner cartridge.

Materials in the discarded household batteries that run much of the electronic equipment we use make up 20% of the hazardous waste in our landfills.