Education is half the battle in the effort to turn our current environmental situation around to make the world a healthier place to live for generations to come. How can you expect someone that doesn't know any better to do their part? You can't, which is why in our travels we spread the word of what needs to be done to prevent our e-waste from poisoning the earth further then it already has.
When products that contain components made from silicone, mercury and lead are thrown away like scraps of food, they breakdown in a dangerous fashion in the landfill. The chemicals used in electronic devices can leak and seep into the earth which can prevent it from becoming fertile. In some cases they can even reach local water supplies which comes back to haunt everyone who gets their drinking water from that source.
Batteries are particularly bad to throw away in the everyday garbage. It only takes a small amount of time before they open up in a landfill, spreading all of the toxins they contain into the surrounding area like a virus. One great resource for recycling rechargeable batteries is Radio Shack, they accept them at all stores and make the claim that there is a store within 5 miles of everyone in highly populated areas, plus they don't charge a cent for this service so there is no reason not to utilize them.
While batteries can be considered the "heart" of many of today's portable electronics, the rest of their "bodies" can be just as bad. The metal and plastic housings used to protect fragile insides can takes hundreds or even thousands of years to decompose naturally. Once the dangerous chemicals have been eliminated, the cases must be recycled too so that they can be reincarnated into the products of tomorrow.
Modern conveniences such as cell phones, digital cameras and MP3 players are all made with circuit boards which contain other potentially hazardous materials. If you have devices such as these that you no longer use, first see if you can find someone that can put it to good use and brighten both of your days. If that fails or your device no longer works, there are many services available who will take equipment and either repurpose it or have it broken down so that the harmful elements do not reach the landfill. Those companies that repurpose working electronics typically do it in a charitable fashion, giving to schools or families in need. PCB Solutions accepts both working and non-working devices and although we do not have the equipment for separating their chemical elements, we will do our part to make sure everything gets to where it should be.
Let's all work together for a better tomorrow and make sure that our e-waste is disposed of properly!
Check back frequently for updates and a list of facilities where you can take electronics you no longer need will be forthcoming. Until then, use your local government as a resource for finding such locations or call us for removal.