Kenton Lee Sena
Homeschooled
"Reasons to Recycle: The Solution to the Electronics Waste Problem"

In this age of technology, electronics are everywhere and in everything. We use electronics to wake us up in the morning and to cook our breakfast. We use electronics to travel, communicate, and give life-saving medical care. Along with this electronic prevalence, since technology is developing so quickly, electronic equipment that was new only a year ago is now considered obsolete and must be disposed of to make way for the newer and better. Because of this pervasion and high turnover rate, we have an extensive waste problem. Electronics recycling is an increasingly popular answer to the problem, and with good cause.

For several reasons, the landfill is not the best final resting place for our comparatively ancient computer equipment. The first and most obvious reason is space. According to some estimates, approximately 20 million computers became obsolete in 1998, and only 6 to 13 percent of these were recycled. The rest went to landfills. More recently, the EPA estimated that "28.4 million desktop computer, 22.9 million hard copy peripherals [printers, fax machines, and scanners], and 9.0 million portable computers…" were slated to permanently leave the home and office in 2005, joined by 24 million televisions and 116 million cell phones. Unfortunately, only 15 percent of these were recycled. The remaining 85 percent, according to the EPA, was sent to landfills across the country. Our old PC’s are increasingly taking up space in our landfills.

In addition, disposal of obsolete electronics by means other than recycling can be directly harmful to the environment. Logically, if we waste basic materials, and not reuse them, we will have to procure those materials from limited primary sources. Tossing out our old keyboards and cell phones, instead of recycling them, will cause manufactures to use more virgin minerals, petroleum, and metals to provide us with new products. Indeed, failure to recycle our electronics can cause even more harm to the environment than this. Surprisingly, our old TV’s and laptops may contain such hazardous materials as mercury, lead, and cadmium. According to EPA estimates, the cathode ray tubes (CRT’s) in televisions and computer monitors may contain up to 27% lead, and averages four pounds per screen. CRT’s are not the only culprits, though; even circuit boards, found in everything from handheld games to laptop computers, may also contain hazardous materials. In recognition of the damage that these un-recycled products can cause the environment, some states and municipalities are regulating, or are in the process of regulating, the improper disposal of such dangerous equipment. It is not only impractical to throw away our used electronics, because of space concerns, but also harmful to the environment.

On the contrary, if we recycle our used electronics products, we can derive several important benefits for ourselves and the environment. Basically, in order to manufacture the electronics we use every day, plastics, metals, and other materials must first harvested from primary environmental sources. That is, metal must be extracted from ore that is mined from the earth, and plastics must be derived from petroleum. These processes consume energy, time, and unsustainable natural resources. Reusing resources that have already been taken from the earth conserves the limited resources that we have.

For examples, each of the following basic electronic products can be recycled into use materials. Circuit boards and hard drives can be dismantled from the existing computer infrastructure and resold for immediate use. If they cannot be used, circuit boards are reduced to plastic and metal. Additionally, circuit boards contain precious metals such as platinum, gold, and silver, which increase the value of their components. The plastic housings to printers and computers are not compatible with current products and contain various impurities that make recycling difficult. However, they have been considered for use in roadbed fill, and additional uses are being researched. Also, the small plastic and metal parts used in electronics can be melted down and sold to manufacturers. As a final example, the CRT’s used in computer monitors and TV’s are broken down into their metal framing and leaded glass components. The metal is sold as scrap and the leaded glass is reused in CRT applications. Each of these products can be recycled for it reusable materials.

Finally, recycling electronics is easy. Community recycling options abound; these can be found by simply calling the appropriate local agency or visiting your municipality's waste management website. Also, some electronics retailers will take back old equipment. Recycling your old electronics makes sense. It reduces solid waste disposal, protects the environment from toxic materials, and provides useful resources for reuse. Why not recycle?

This essay has been reproduced without its Works Cited. For more information about this essay, please email Becky Haltermon at bhaltermon@boonecountyky.org.