Tag: computer recycling

How to Recycle a Laptop
How to Recycle a Laptop

There are many reasons you may want to dispose of your old laptop; maybe the battery life is lagging, it isn’t working properly, or you are just ready to try out the newest technologies of the season. No matter the reason, it is important to consider the increasing upgrade cycle of electronics and its effect on the environment.  However, knowing how to recycle a laptop can be difficult. Laptops contain valuable materials including gold, silver, and platinum. They also contain dangerous heavy metals and hazardous chemicals. Recycling your laptop ensures that hazards are handled safely and resources are preserved. E-waste recycling programs follow local recycling regulations to protect the community, while also ensuring that your private data is secure. Prepare […]

How to Reduce E-Waste: Easy Steps to Follow
how to reduce e-waste at home, in the office, and raise awareness

Each year, the world produces mountains of e-waste, weighing in at over 60 million tons a year. As we continue to incorporate technology into every facet of our lives, that number continues to grow. As a result, figuring out how we reduce that e-waste becomes more and more important as the years go on.  Increasing the urgency to reduce our e-waste output is the toxicity of the equipment as it decomposes. Most electronics contain toxic chemicals and elements like cadmium, mercury, and other rare earth elements that can poison the soil, water, and air around their disposal site.  Recycling e-waste helps prevent this but reducing e-waste can also benefit the environment and, often, your wallet.  How to Reduce E-Waste at […]

IT Recycling for Security and E-Waste Reduction
office computers for it recycling

A company’s IT department is responsible for maintaining technology through its whole lifecycle. This commonly includes troubleshooting onboarding, technology setup, or, too often, asking if a coworker had restarted their computer to see if it solved the problem. However, the end of a piece of technology’s life cycle can not be solved with a simple restart. That requires recycling, and IT is often tasked with ensuring the safe disposal of the technology and its data.  The Importance of IT Recycling  While individuals should recycle their computers, phones, and other electronics to help reduce e-waste, the scale of the job for IT departments makes an effective recycling process even more crucial. When upgrading or replacing old systems, this often means hundreds […]

How to Recycle a Laptop Battery
recycle laptop battery featured image electronics recycling finder

Laptop batteries have improved in leaps and bounds in the past couple of decades. They last longer, charge faster, and hold on to their charge a lot longer. However, they’re not perfect, and eventually, every laptop battery will wear out, and you will need to recycle it.  Laptop batteries are filled with valuable materials, such as lithium, cobalt, and nickel, that can be reused and repurposed when you dispose of them properly. Explore not only the environmental benefits but also the practical steps you can take to ensure you’re recycling old laptop batteries while reducing your carbon footprint. Where to Recycle a Laptop Battery No matter where you are, you should not put an old laptop battery in your regular […]

The Current State of E-Waste Recycling Technology
the smelting part of e-waste recycling technology

The amount of E-waste the world produces a year is a staggering 50 million tons a year, and only growing. While that’s only a fraction of the overall waste the world generates, it makes up the lion’s share of toxic waste. As such, it’s more important than ever to produce effective and efficient e-waste recycling technology.  Much of the technology we use now involves older techniques, converted to e-waste recycling. Smelting down metal, using acidic solutions to break down components, shredding, and magnetizing. However, as the e-waste problem grows, so too are the solutions to it. Novel ideas are being pioneered to recover as much as possible from our discarded technology. Types of E-Waste Recycling Technology in Use  Pyrometallurgical Recycling  […]

The Risks of Selling Electronics
Selling electronic risks featured image

If you have an old laptop, computer, or other piece of technology sitting around, it might be tempting to sell it and get some extra cash. While this can be a good solution, and a profitable one, you need to be aware of the risks that come with selling old electronics.  This is particularly important when it comes to laptops, cell phones, and computers. However, anything that contains your personal or payment information could be a risk if it’s sold to the wrong person.  How to Reduce the Risks of Selling Electronics  If that extra money in your pocket is too tempting to pass up, there are ways to make it safer. Selling the technology to a trusted friend or […]

Data Destruction Certificate: What is it, and Why is it Important?
Data Destruction Certificate

A data destruction certificate, also referred to as a Certificate of Destruction, is a crucial part of the technology destruction or recycling process. The certificate guarantees that all of the data on a piece of technology was properly destroyed.  With data breaches and cyber crimes on the rise, this guarantee is more important than ever.  What is a Data Destruction Certificate? The actual data destruction certificate differs based on the company doing the work. However, most follow the template set below. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) provides a framework for best practices in media and data destruction.  The certificate typically contains the person and provider performing the service, information about the type of media they’re destroying, a […]

Remote Work E-Waste: Sustainable and Secure Solutions

Remote and hybrid work launched as a grand experiment as offices closed down due to the pandemic. A few weeks out of the office turned into months and years. Now, for many workers, a remote or hybrid workspace is the new normal. While remote work was a success for many, it’s also created a new problem. E-waste from remote work is now piling up in concerning amounts.  Workers sent home often required new technology, or had to bring office equipment with them. With computer life cycles typically around 3-5 years, it’s more than likely that much of that equipment sourced at the beginning of the pandemic is reaching its end. And with workers reliant on well-functioning technology now more than […]

What Electronics Can Be Recycled?
Old computers and computer equipment

Technology is all around us. Whether you’re at home, in the office, or even in a coffee shop, phones, computers, TVs, smartwatches, and more, surround you. All of these technologies have a shelf life. Most of them contain harmful chemicals, or valuable resources, that shouldn’t end up in a landfill. So what electronics can be recycled?  The good news is that you are more than able to recycle nearly all of these technologies. However, the process of recycling differs based on the technology.  What Electronics Can Be Recycled? Computer and Laptops  Nearly every type of computer or laptop can be recycled. In those computers, only 2% of the material can’t be recycled. For every computer recycled, that means that those […]