Top Three Reasons to Watch What You Throw in the Trash

Did you know that last year alone, over 660 million pounds of electronics were recycled? Even though this is great progress, still more can be done globally and domestically. 

What many companies don’t realize is that what they are throwing away can actually be valuable commodities. Waste costs for businesses have become another bill paid just as their electricity and water without thinking twice. Once their establishment opens up, dumpsters start becoming filled and hauled away without businesses giving a second thought to what was actually in them. 

Listed below are some reasons why these companies should be recycling their waste instead of just tossing it in the trash.  

It Saves Them Money

It is inevitable for businesses to produce e-waste. Electronics grow old and outdated, and organizations have to replace them with new, more efficient, and updated ones. What most companies do not realize, though, is that they pay for the electronics twice. Once, when they purchase them in the first place and the second time when they throw it away. Therefore, preventing waste can save businesses money, and they can even get paid for their old electronics if they choose to sell them to companies like CompuCycle. 

Municipalities want to increase recycling and are either heavily taxing landfill waste or increasing disposal costs. This creates more incentive to recycle their e-waste, which helps sustain the value to the economy. We can safely say that it is high time businesses start recycling their e-waste instead of trashing it, as the costs will keep on increasing as the problem worsens. 

Regardless of if a business is large or small, recycling e-waste can enhance the image of the business in the community as well in addition to saving costs. This can result in increased brand popularity and sales. It also reduces the company’s liability. Furthermore, large companies with a lot of e-waste can avoid the hassle of government approvals and costly permits by handing over their outdated IT assets to recycling companies.  

Recycling Creates Employment and Benefits the Economy

There is the fact that recycling is more labor-intensive and creates an increase in job openings due to the rise of e-cycling. If the volume of electronic recyclables increases, new recycling companies will be born, and old and established e-recycling companies will have increased work and hire more employees to support their operations. Not only that, but it also creates a new stream of revenue for the recyclable goods that can be resold (i.e., cardboard, iron, copper, gold, etc.), benefiting the economy of the country. 

Some reusable IT assets are sold to developing countries before or after repairs which creates employment and generates revenue in those countries as well. Furthermore, communities (in the United States or developing countries) that cannot afford new electronics can access and benefit from these old electronics for different purposes. 

Capacity of Landfills

Most of the landfills do not have the space for recyclables found in the trash resulting in dangers to our economy, and the implications become much greater, which is why we need to keep these goods out of our waste stream. Due to the low capacity of landfills, they are not able to properly dispose of the e-waste, and it becomes a threat to public health and the environment. 

It Is the Right Thing to Do

Even if there were no benefits of recycling e-waste, the drawbacks of it are enough for companies to think about the implications of their actions and stop the practice. Contributing to waste that is hazardous to the safety of public health and the environment is by no means an ethical or acceptable thing to do. Electronic devices contain dangerous chemicals that can leach into water sources, contaminate soil, and pollute the air we breathe. All this causes significant health damage to all living things. 

Computers and televisions carry a poisonous heavy metal, leaded glass. Batteries contain lead, lithium, and cadmium that can cause cancer and are explosive as well. Chest freezers and gas hot water heaters have mercury switches that have the potential to cause skin disorders and respiratory issues. And the list goes on. 

It does not require much for businesses to bring a halt to spreading e-waste and start recycling their unneeded old electronics and IT assets. All they are to do is to bring a little and positive change in their attitudes and procedures, and they can reap amazing benefits out of it along with helping the environment. If you own a business and have electronics to get rid of, give us a call, and we will buy them from you.  

CompuCycle works with many of the companies that have either implemented recycling programs or want to aid our economy, which benefits both parties. The result has turned out to be quite successful. Collectively, these efforts will help increase the recycling rate and benefit our economy.