Here are some facts that few people know about e-waste. (All information comes from www.pacebutler.com/blog/ewaste-recycling-facts/.)
A previous blog stressed the importance of social media and technology in today's society. This may be good for us humans, but what is this new technology (specifically, cell phones) doing to the environment?
There are about 7 billion people in the world and over 4 billion cell phones (that's about 61% of the world's population) in use. And every year, about 140 million cell phones are dumped into landfills, adding tons of toxins such as lead, plastic, mercury, chromium, and arsenic (about 80,000 pounds) into our ecosystem, the effects of which cannot be easily reversed. This is a HUGE threat to our Mother Earth.
But, don't worry, recycling can save the planet! Most parts from electronic devices (cell phones, computers, etc.) can be recycled and effectively used in other products and for secondary purposes. So, when you upgrade to the iPhone 5, bring your old phones to the recycling center!
Not only is recycling good for the environment, it's also economical! Electronic devices contain some precious metals (like gold and silver) that can be recycled and used for other things. (About 55 tons of gold and silver combined is worth around 60 million dollars.)
After reading the previous paragraphs, you might think, "Well, that's a given... everyone should be recycling their old electronics!" Sadly, less than 20% of all the e-waste in the world (which, if you remember, is about 140 million cell phones, not including computers) is recycled each year. And only 2% of old computers are used to build new ones.
But get this (it's my favorite part...)-- if the whole world committed to not charging their cell phones for one day (just one day!), 35 million (MILLION) pounds of greenhouse gases would be saved from being released into the atmosphere. Shocking, right?!?! And, only 515 recycled phones would be enough energy to power an average household for One. Entire. Year.
So, this year, let's commit to recycle our electronics and prevent e-waste. America Recycles Day is coming up (Nov. 15th). Go to their website (www.ard.org) to take the pledge today! And, be sure to stop by the Recycling Center on Nov. 17th for our ARD event!
