August Eco-Newsletter
Closing the Loop: Where does ewaste go?
Each year, an estimated 20 -50 million tons of electronic waste is discarded annually throughout the globe. According to the Consumer Electronics Association, Americans now own approximately 24 electronic products per household. Electronics contain extremely valuable materials and also toxic materials. Recycling electronics is an important means to reduce electronic waste in landfills as well as recover valuable resources.
This segment of “Closing the Loop” follows our electronic waste through the intricate layers of the recycling process. Old cell phones, VCRs and computer could become part of park benches, automotive parts or even jewelry.
What is Ewaste?
When discarded, any electronic device that has a battery or electrical cord is called ewaste. Electronics still in good working order can be donated or sold for reuse. Electronics that are no longer working or are obsolete can be recycled through a number of local or national recyclers and take-back programs.
Breaking it Down
Electronic recycling companies primarily take apart ewaste and break down each device into its separate components for sale on the market which includes plastics, metals and glass. Each material has to be sorted before it can be recycled.
During the process of breaking down ewaste, there is potential for health hazards to workers and the environment, however, recycling can be performed responsibly. In the US, recycling companies are required to comply with safety regulations and many companies even go beyond those standards. However, there are not universal regulations throughout the globe and domestic electronic recyclers must be selective when selling materials overseas.
Responsible recycling companies properly manage the recycling of both the toxic materials as well as recover the valuable materials in a safe way.
Electronic circuit boards contain valuable metals such as gold, silver, and copper. Recyclers pull out the circuit boards from each device and sell them to companies that extract the imbedded metals. This is done through a process of smelting. The precious metals in the raw are then sold and go on to be made into any number of products such as jewelry, electronics or automobile switches.
In one ton of individual cell phones (without batteries), there's an estimated 308 pounds of copper, 7 pounds of silver, and half a pound of gold (USGS Report 2006).
Rechargeable batteries contain many elements that are most frequently recycled into making more rechargeable batteries. Batteries contain a number of metals that are separated at high temperatures in furnaces and the raw components such as nickel, iron, cobalt, cadmium, manganese, and chromium are used in making new rechargeable batteries.
Plastics that are removed from the ewaste items are further sorted into various categories of plastic. The plastics will most likely be recycled into new electronic components because they are already graded to the proper specifications. It is also possible that the plastics could be made into plastic lumber, hard plastics such as lighters or automobile parts.
Electronic accessories such as computer mice, keyboards, speakers, head phones, CDs, game controllers, and chargers can all be recycled, too. The plastics are removed for recycling. The copper and other metals are stripped out of the wiring for recycling. Just about all components of electronics can be recycled.
By recovering electronic waste for recycling, we are keeping waste out of landfills, avoiding potential contamination from ewaste in our environment, and reducing our need to extract more raw resources. Recycling ewaste is easy, so hop to it!
More information on ewaste can be found on our RECYCLING page.
Trashology 101: New Waste Reduction Curriculum
The Environmental Department has created an educational curriculum on waste management called Trashology 101. The new curriculum is targeted to students in grades 3-5 (ages 8-11) and their teachers, families, youth-serving organizations such as scout groups, recreational clubs, and faith-based organizations. Through Trashology 101, young people will learn how they are connected to the environment, how solid waste management impacts the environment, and how they can personally make a positive impact in their school, home and community.
Trashology 101 consists of four modules and is free to download for anyone who is interested.