Recycle your Electronics Waste - National Recycling Week 5 Reasons to Recycle your Electronics Waste with 1800Ewaste.

We all know that we should recycle, but do we really know why? On the 88th to the 14th November, Planet Ark is launching National Recycling Week 2010 to raise awareness of the importance of recycling and to educate communities about waste management. With NRW2010 fast approaching, we thought it would be a good time to start considering the benefits of recycling our electronic waste.

1. We divert 95-98% of all the electronics waste that we collect, by weight, from landfill.

When electronic waste is sent to landfill hazardous wastes can end up leaking into soil and water systems and even into the atmosphere as ash when it’s burnt. Electronic waste contains toxic materials such as lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium and radioactive isotopes. These materials not only harm the environment, but can also seriously harm human health; high levels of lead in our bodies, for example, can be the cause of cancers, learning difficulties and even death, cadmium is a known carcinogenic and chromium can be a cause of high blood pressure.

When you think that each CRT colour monitor contains 2.5 kilos of lead, it becomes obvious why we should not be allowing such huge volumes of these toxins to be sent to landfill.

2. All of the electronics waste that we collect is recycled right here in Australia in an effort to combat the illegal export of hazardous waste and child labour.

Under the terms of the Basel Convention, it is illegal to export electronic waste to developing countries where no licenses have been acquired and/or where they have no proper facilities to accommodate large volumes of ewaste. Unfortunately, evidence has proved that the exporting of hazardous waste still happens, putting the lives of thousands at risk. Think about the health risks mentioned above, that’s what can happen when we put our electronic waste into incinerators and landfills miles away from us in remote areas. Imagine what happens to residents of small towns and villages in China and Africa, where thousands of tonnes of electronic waste are being dumped on their door step.

At 1800Ewaste we only use ISO14001 accredited facilities within Australia, we NEVER send any of the electronics waste we collect overseas.

3. All of the hard drives we collect are shredded into tiny pieces, making sure that any data left on memory cards are physically destroyed.

When we access online services through a computer, whether that’s online banking, electricity, email accounts or even Facebook, we are storing all of our personal details on a hard drive. With identity theft and fraud being such a huge threat these days, merely deleting files and cookies from your computer is not enough to stop criminals pulling up this sensitive information.

We don’t just wipe the hard drive and memory cards – we destroy all electronic components for recycling.

One of the only ways to truly get rid of data that is left on your hard drives and memory cards is to have it physically destroyed. At 1800Ewaste our recycling process is so thorough that all of the electronic waste is broken down into its smallest components, so retrieving any data is impossible. We supply Certificates of Destruction to both residential and commercial customers, as proof that your data has been destroyed.

4. We’re saving valuable resources for future generations.

We’re living in a generation where we are starting to realise that our crucial resources won’t last forever, so it’s time to start conserving where we can. When we recycle your electronic waste, we break it right down to it’s core components. From there it’s put through a rigorous set of machines that separate the materials in to the following

  • Iron & Steel
  • Metallics – aluminium, copper, brass
  • Non Metallics – plastics, wires
  • Glass – leaded and unleaded

Computer parts – the scrap metal, computer monitors, old computers, electronic components and electronic parts can all be recycled.

These materials, once separated, can then be resold as their core components. It’s an expensive task, and the cost of recycling actually outweighs the value of the materials recovered, but it’s preventing some of our most valuable, renewable resources being sent to landfill. The glass from computer monitors will eventually be used to create more computer screens, which is called closed-looped recycling.

5. 1800Ewaste is convenient, hands on, and easy.

Our hands on electronic waste collection service, means that you can benefit from all of the above without having to lift a finger. All it takes is one simple phone call and one of our friendly customer service team will be able to give you a fast and obligation free quote to have your electronic waste collected and recycled. We can then arrange a collection time to suit you – we book in two hour windows, so that you don’t have to hang around all day. Our drivers have all the equipment and the strength needed to remove your ewaste, so you can just sit back, relax and know that you’re doing your bit for the environment and for future generations.

As Australia’s leading electronic waste collection and recycling service, 1800Ewaste are dedicated to diverting as much electronic waste from landfill and prolonging the life of valuable materials.

To show our dedication and support National Recycling Week 2010, we’ll be offering all of our customers a $10 discount on ewaste collections. Book your ewaste collection between the 8th and the 14th November 2010 and quote “National Recycling Week” to receive your discount. So, if you’ve been putting off organising your electronic waste collection, there’s never been a better time – call us today on 1800 392 783.

Find out more about how you can get involved in National Recycling Week 2010 here.