Electronic E-Recycling Central

Posted on February 7, 2026 by admin

Electronic recycling is essential in today’s modern era. This is necessary considering that almost every household, and even individuals, own electronic devices. For example, gadgets or smartphones.

There are many electronics manufacturers offering products at varying prices. The increasing market demand has also boosted the production of electronic devices. From an economic perspective, this is certainly positive. However, on the other hand, there is a threat that must be understood, namely the issue of electronic waste or recycling.

The Dangers of Electronic Waste

The increasing amount of electronic waste is bad news, because this waste is classified as hazardous and toxic waste. Electronic waste contains hazardous chemicals such as lithium, lead, nickel, mercury, and various other dangerous substances.

These hazardous chemicals are extremely dangerous, especially if they enter the human body. People exposed to the hazardous contents of electronic waste are at risk of various health problems, ranging from stomach problems to cancer.

In addition to being harmful to human health, electronic waste that is disposed of carelessly is also harmful to the environment. The toxic elements it contains can pollute water sources, such as rivers, lakes, and even the sea. That is why recycling electronic waste is very important.

Recycling this type of waste will have a significant impact on the environment and human health, because currently electronic waste has piled up. Although it is difficult and time-consuming, electronic waste can be recycled. Here are some of the results of recycling electronic waste:

Raw Materials for New Devices

Electronic waste is very complex and not all of it is easy to recycle. This recycling process cannot be done carelessly. Recycling electronic waste begins with sorting the waste manually.

After sorting, the electronic waste will be checked for functionality in each part. Components that are still functional will be separated from those that are no longer functional. Only then will the components that are still functional be extracted and reused to form new electronic devices.

Destroyed into a New Form

In addition to becoming raw materials for new devices, electronic waste that is no longer functional can also be utilized. This waste will be separated again, then cut into small pieces and crushed into powder. Although it is difficult and requires considerable costs, the recycled results can become the basic materials for plastic, glass, and aluminum.

Tokyo 2020 Olympic Medals

One piece of news that caught the world’s attention regarding electronic waste recycling was the Tokyo 2020 Olympic medals. A total of 5,000 gold, silver, and bronze medals were made from recycled electronic waste collected since 2017.

According to information quoted from USA Today, there were around 80,000 tons of electronic waste donated by the Japanese people. After undergoing a long recycling process, the electronic waste was turned into 32 kilograms of gold, 4,000 kilograms of silver, and 2,000 kilograms of bronze, which were then used to make the medals.

Artwork

In the hands of artists, electronic waste can be transformed into works of art. Nowadays, more and more artists are aware of the dangers of electronic waste, so they are using it to create artwork. For example, British artist Nick Gentry uses floppy disks as his canvas.

Then there is South Korean artist Choi Jung Hyun, who created a snake sculpture from unused keyboard buttons. There is also Susan Stockwell, a British artist who created a world map display case from electronic device component waste.

Recycling various electronic waste activities is not something that just anyone can do. This is because electronic waste contains hazardous materials and requires special treatment. However, there are still many steps individuals can take to prevent the accumulation of electronic waste, including:

  • Raising awareness about the proper use of technology.
  • Be wise in consuming electronic devices, purchasing only what you need.
  • Repair damaged electronic equipment. Don’t immediately think about throwing it away with other waste.
  • Think long-term when purchasing electronic equipment, considering the age of the equipment and its intended use.
  • Collect used electronic items and dispose of them in a place that handles this type of waste.
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Key Points of Electronic Recycling

Posted on February 7, 2026 by admin

Electronic recycling (e-cycling) ecyclingcentral.com is the process of managing damaged or obsolete electronic devices to recover valuable materials such as gold, copper, and rare earth metals, while preventing hazardous heavy metal pollution. This process supports the circular economy by turning waste into raw materials for new products.

Key Points of Electronic Recycling:

Objectives: Reduce hazardous waste, conserve natural resources, and extract high-value materials.

Examples of E-waste: Mobile phones, laptops, computers, cables, chargers, and other electronic components.

Recycling Process: Includes manual sorting, crushing, magnetic separation for ferromagnetic metals, and eddy current separation for non-magnetic materials.

How to Contribute:

  1. Separate electronic waste from regular household waste.
  2. Delete personal data from devices (laptops/mobile phones) before recycling.
  3. Take it to the nearest drop-off point.

Electronic recycling is crucial because even though the amount is small compared to other types of waste, electronic waste is far more toxic to the environment.

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The Importance of Responsible Recycling for Used Electronics

Posted on January 31, 2026 by admin

Economic Value

While advances in technology give consumers the availability to upgrade to newer, sleeker and more energy-efficient electronics products, it is important to remember that older electronics units and devices may not have reached the end of their useful life.

On average, the original owner keeps a laptop computer for only three years and will discard their cell phone after only 24 months. However, many televisions, computers, computer monitors, mobile phones and other electronics are still in good working condition and can be recycled, refurbished or donated to schools and charities. There is a vibrant, for-profit secondary market for recent models of laptop computers, desktop computers and cell phones because these products retain significant value.

Numerous EIA member companies have created and are participating in programs designed to assist consumers in recycling used electronics products. These programs help place your electronics products into the recycling stream by refurbishing the device or giving it back to the community, either to schools, charities, economically disadvantaged or disabled citizens of your community. These efforts benefit both the environment and your community. You can even get tax deductions for donating your working electronics to schools or charities.

Many electronic product parts can be refurbished and reused. EIA member companies making efforts to use recycled materials, including glass, metals and plastics, in new generations of their products.

Properly managing your used electronics includes responsible recycling for protection of the environment and your personal privacy.

Resource Conservation
EIA member companies support electronics recycling as a way to conserve valuable resources. We believe it is far more preferable to refurbish and recycle used electronics than to dispose of them in landfills.

Some electronics products contain materials such as lead and mercury, which provide critical and unique safety, performance, reliability and energy efficiency benefits. While the industry proactively develops viable substitutes and manufacturers successfully incorporate these into their products, these materials cannot yet be replaced in all applications.

EIA member companies follow strict guidelines and regulations when recycling products or contracting with electronics recyclers. Unfortunately, not all companies that recover and manage used electronics abide by these regulations, which results in obsolete electronics being mis-managed in the U.S. and in other countries that lack proper facilities, training and resources to safely and properly process these products

Over the last few years, more and more states have been passing and considering legislation regarding end-of-life electronics disposal and mercury content bans. The stringent European Union Directive on the Restriction of Hazardous Substances (the RoHS Directive) provides narrow exemptions for specified uses of these materials when no technically or environmentally suitable alternatives exist. Many EIA member companies have long-standing design-for-environment and product stewardship programs that pre-date the RoHS Directive by years.

EIA member companies encourage consumers to participate in electronics recycling so that we can help eliminate the amount of these materials in our landfills and help keep our environment clean. With your help, we can continue to be good stewards of the environment.

Security
To protect your privacy, we recommend that you remove all data from a computer hard drive before donating, selling or recycling a computer or other information storing device. Your computer is filled with personal and financial information and this data should be properly removed in order to protect you from identity theft. Identity theft is one of the fastest growing forms of crime in the country and consumers must take extra steps to prevent this crime. For more information about identity theft go to: www. consumer.gov/idtheft

It is necessary to wipe any media clean before disposing of it. This includes the hard drive in computers as well as floppies, zip disks, tapes and CD’s. There are a number of ways to remove data from your hard drive. The first is the physical destruction of a hard drive, which removes all data but also removes all reuse value. The second method is known as degaussing or the use of a magnetic device to remove data. Verifying data destruction with this method is often very difficult, but can still be effective. The final method is overwriting data. Resources for overwriting data from your computer are readily available online, but if you want the highest level of data security choose a program which meets or exceeds US Department of Defense standards for data destruction.

If you are unable to remove your data before selling, donating or recycling your equipment attempt to find a recycler who will ensure the safety and removal of your data.

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Questions to Ask Potential Recyclers

Posted on January 5, 2026 by admin

To ensure the proper handling of your used electronics, we recommend that you ask a few questions of the person or business you are entrusting with these devices. These questions can help you determine if your devices will be handled properly.

Legal disclaimer

Do you accept electronic devices from individuals? Will you accept my device for recycling?

  • Some recyclers will not accept devices from households. Make sure your recycler will accept devices (one or more) from you.
  • Not all recyclers accept all devices – make sure your recycler will take your particular device


What are your policies and practices for destroying personal data that may still exist on used computers or cell phones?

  • Data can be wiped from storage media using a magnetic wiping method or using a program to overwrite all sectors of a hard drive. Any method used for data wiping should be done more than once (multi-pass).
  • Storage media can be destroyed by shredding, cutting, incinerating, multiple perforations or crushing.
  • Your recycler should be able to provide written certification that the data was wiped or storage media destroyed, as well as a record of the methods used.


Do you follow any recognized best management practices for electronics recyclers? Who certifies and audits your management system? Are you legally able to perform the work you claim?

  • Recyclers and consolidators should be able to produce evidence that they have the proper facilities, training and equipment to perform the operations they claim by showing you an audited management/operations system, complete with evidence of recent audits.
  • Ask if they have environmental management certification or system in place, such as ISO 14001 environmental management certification, or certifications by organizations like the International Association of Electronics Recyclers (IAER) or the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI).
  • For those that are not certified, ask if they follow any recognized environmental management guidelines such as EPA’s Plug-in to E-Cycling Guidelines.


Have you had any environmental or safety violations (citations, fines, notice of violation, consent orders, etc) or filed for any environmental damage insurance claims in the last 5 years? If yes, please explain.

  • Companies that have a good track record of complying with environmental and safety requirements are preferred.
  • A company that has been in business for several years with only a few minor violations that were quickly resolved may be just as responsible as a company with only a year or two in the business with no violations.
  • Check for major violations such as large quantity waste releases or significant neighborhood complaints.


Do you send used equipment or wastes to other business partners or service providers? If yes, do you know what their export policies are, if they have any environmental or recycling certifications or if they follow recognized best management practices for recycling?

  • Good recordkeeping is one of the best practices.  Look for companies that keep detailed records including where they ship materials, how much they ship and serial numbers for items to be reused.
  • Although there are several “full service” recyclers in the U.S., it is likely that the recycler you give your products to will not handle the full processing of your device.
  • Your recycling company should have written logs of what processing (such as sorting and/or shredding) is done on site and who receives the materials or products after initial processing.
  • Ask if the recycler’s business partners are contractually bound to the same standards or best management practices your recycler holds themselves to.
  • Be wary of recyclers who state that their processes and business partners are “confidential,” “proprietary,” or “they don’t know.”
  • All exporting must be done in compliance with laws applicable to both the exporting and importing countries.


What percentage of the materials you collect are recycled and what percentage is disposed (either through landfilling or incineration)?

  • Recyclers should recycle as much of the materials as is economically feasible.
  • Look for companies that can recycle 90% or more of the materials, sending less than 10% for disposal or incineration.
  • Also look for recyclers that avoid landfilling or incinerating items such as mercury lamps, leaded glass and batteries.

Do you have general liability and environmental liability insurance? If so, how much?

  • Insurance requirements vary from state to state, and the amount and type of coverage necessary will vary by the size and operations at the facility.
  • The amount and coverage will depend on the scope and magnitude of the operations.


How do you handle mercury lamps in electronic products?

  • If your recycler accepts products that contain mercury lamps, such as LCD monitors, laptop computers and some copiers, they should have and follow written procedures for removing the mercury-containing components prior to processing the device.

Disclaimer:

The questions and answers on this website are intended only as a guide, for informational purposes only. This list of questions does not constitute a complete set of questions that should or could be asked by consumers. A complete, or even satisfactory, response by a recycler does not guarantee that the recycler is a responsible service provider. Persons contacting a recycler should conduct their own investigations and make their own determinations regarding the accuracy and usefulness of the information provided.

The information on this page is not intended to constitute, and should not be relied upon as, legal advice. While a reasonable attempt has been made to maintain the information on this Website as accurately as possible, this information may contain errors or omissions, for which TIA, its member companies, and allied associations disclaim any liability. TIA, its member companies, and allied associations further disclaim any liability for any damages, whether direct, indirect, consequential, or incidental, resulting from the use of the information contained herein. Reference to third party organizations or websites does not represent or imply endorsement by TIA, its member companies, and allied associations of any of the practices of these organizations, nor does it imply certification or liability for these organizations.

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