With environmental issues taking center stage, more and more people are trying to do their part and be environmentally responsible. Most people know about water and energy conservation, but what a lot of people don’t know about is electronics recycling.

There are many reasons to get involved in electronics recycling. One is that most people simply have a lot of electronics that are out of date, obsolete, broken or simply unused. There is a wide range of electronics that can be recycled: cell phones, computers, monitors, televisions, printers, copiers, fax machines, calculators, keyboards, stereo systems, and the list goes on and on. Basically, everyone has something in their home that isn’t used and can be recycled.

Computer recycling, as well as recycling other electronics, is one of the best ways to help the environment – especially because e-waste is becoming one of the worst pollutants to threaten our environment. E-waste describes any electronic device that is improperly disposed of and contains toxins that when left in a landfill can seep those toxins into the surrounding earth and water supply. Electronics contain toxins such as mercury, lead, arsenic and other toxic materials. Many people don’t recycle their electronics simply because they don’t realize the hazard caused by improper disposal. Another reason is because they don’t know about local facilities that will recycle their computers, cell phones, and other electronics.

Computer recycling is one of the most important things to get involved with, as only about 20% of obsolete computers are recycled. Computers and monitors make up about 40% of e-waste in landfills and almost everyone has a computer that is outdated or unused. Your old computer, along with old cell phones, printers, etc. can have a negative impact on the environment if they end up in a landfill.

If you are interested in helping the environment, consider electronics recycling. The best way to get started is to evaluate your electronics that are not being used, broken, out of date or simply collecting dust in your basement, garage or storage facility. Do some searching and find a facility in your area that recycles these electronics and take them there to be recycled. Make sure you check out the website or call first to ensure that the facility takes all of the electronics that you have. If they don’t, they should be able to direct you to other facilities that can take what they don’t.

It doesn’t take much time to collect your old electronics, find a facility and drop them off – but the impact from those actions can be huge. You will be happy to know that you are helping the environment by combating the harmful effects of e-waste.