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No Cost Electronics Recycling

Electronic waste is incredibly toxic, and with free recycling solutions available, it’s also completely unnecessary. Sadly, a report from the United Nations reveals that we produce 50 million tons of e-waste per year globally. That number is bound to grow if people can’t figure out what to do with their obsolete devices.

Do you have an old computer or device that you don’t use anymore? Consider bringing it to Mattes Computer and Printer Repair to be properly recycled.

When they end up in landfills, electronics are resistant to decomposition. Plus, they contain a variety of harmful elements and materials that leach into the environment. In fact, despite forming just two or three percent of all municipal solid waste in the United States, electronics are responsible for 70% of the nation’s total toxic waste.

Many locations offer e-waste recycling services and will make sure your old device is disposed of in an environmentally friendly manner. Technology is always changing and evolving. So you’ll undoubtedly be left with unusable electronics that require electronics recycling. Contact Us today and we will take those electronics off your hands, cost-free.

Electronics Recycling

Recycling old electronics is a crucial task. You need an expert to do the right thing for you. Mattes is your answer to electronics recycling.

IT Asset Disposition

Disposing of all End Of Life IT equipment is a vital service offered. We’ve been in this industry for several 26 years. We know the right solutions for you.

Data Destruction

You need to count on Mattes, as we can protect you from any trouble that can be caused by data leaking. Our Data Destruction service is trusted.

No Cost to You

Mattes will provide all manpower, transportation, fuel, fees, storage costs, data destruction, recycling fees, and more. Schedule today.

  • E-Reader
  • DVD Players
  • Digital Cameras
  • CRT Televisions
  • Computer Mice
  • Computer Machines
  • CD Players
  • Calculators
  • Wires and Cables
  • Telephones
  • Copiers & Printers
  • Medical Equipment
  • Server Towers & Racks
  • Portable Electronics

Accepted Items for Electronics Recycling

accepted electronics for recycling

FAQ

Electronic Recycling FAQ

What items are considered to be electronics?

Under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) issued by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): televisions, monitors, computers, computer peripherals, audio and stereo equipment, VCRs, DVD players, video cameras, telephones, facsimiles, copying machines, cellular phones, wireless devices, and video game consoles are primary examples of electronics that you can recycle. Kitchen appliances and other household electronics can also be recycled.

How does electronics recycling make a difference?

It is estimated that of the approximately 250,000,000 tons of solid waste generated annually in the United States, around 5% is classified as e-waste.2 Of this, only an estimated 10% to 18% of electronics are recycled. Mattes wants to help change this for the good of our local and global environments.

What are the Outcomes if We Dispose of Electronics Improperly?

NOTICE OF VIOLATION as issued by the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. Failure to correct the alleged violations cited required by this NOTICE may result in the assessment of penalties, not to exceed $27,500 per violation pursuant to Section 3008 of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) of 1976, 42 U.S.C. § 6928.

Does Mattes Computer and Printer repair pay for obsolete electronics?

Mattes Computer and Printer Repair does offer companies, not individuals, a return on their investment when the assets have value. When they don’t have value there might be a fee associated with our services. In either case, our customers know upfront.

When is the right time to recycle used electronics?

It is recommended that you recycle or dispose of old electronics as soon as you upgrade to a newer model or equipment. Many people tend to wait for a long time and end up with a pile of gadgets that no one can use. By recycling them quickly, you can prevent more e-waste from ending up in landfills.

What happens to our data?

All data received from customers in a media form (hard drives, tape, discs) become data wiped using the Department of Defense Media Sanitization (DoD 5220.22-M) method. We also offer hard drive shredding, hard drive crushing, and magnetic degaussing.

Does Mattes Computer and Printer Repair re-sell items I give/sell?

We practice the concept of reducing, Re-use, and Recycling by allowing items a second life span and following a zero landfill policy. We Reduce by accepting or buying your unwanted electronics that are no longer in use or have reached the end of their life cycle. During the process of responsibly recycling, we look for any items that have a Reuse value. Do we re-sell items? Yes, we try to find additional value on items (specific to customers’ demands) for re-sale. Recycling is the final stage where electronic waste is sorted and settled to its commodity value.

Why must electronics waste not go to a landfill?

Some electronic device components contain constituents that, if improperly handled, could be harmful to the environment and its inhabitants. E-waste that is not recycled ends up in the environment. Water is poisoned, the air turns toxic, the soil becomes dead, and wildlife and plant life suffer. Certain components of electronics contain measurable amounts of regulated heavy metals, including lead, silver, barium, cadmium, and mercury. Many of these metals can be recovered and responsibly disposed of, based upon Environmental Protection Agency standards.

Can I donate my electronics waste?

Donation programs can work well if all involved parties understand the limits and liabilities associated with the transfer of equipment. Questions such as, ‘who will ensure that proprietary data is eliminated before the donation’ need to be answered prior to ownership transfer. The Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act of 1993, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), and many others make all companies and organizational entities legally responsible for the protection of client privacy. Failure to effectively destroy all informational data prior to the transfer of ownership leaves an organization open to corporate liability. Mattes Computer and Printer Repair Data Destruction process helps eliminate the worry of such a risk.

Why does electronics recycling cost money?

Materials such as antimony, arsenic, lead, and mercury used to manufacture electronics are unhealthy to us. If not recycled properly, it is surprisingly easy for these materials to ultimately end up in our bodies and cause major issues including lung damage, cancer, and seizures. E-waste that is not recycled ends up in the environment. Water is poisoned, the air turns toxic, the soil becomes dead, and wildlife and plant life suffer.

To avoid these harmful effects on both our bodies and our environment, reputable e-cycling companies provide outlets for responsible riddance of your old electronics. As we’ve mentioned in a previous blog post, some of these companies lower their costs by exporting e-waste to countries like Ghana, Nigeria, Pakistan, India, and China where it gets broken down by men, women, and children who are usually unprotected from the toxins. To comply with government regulations and environmental laws, e-cycling companies resorted to charging fees to properly break down hazardous electronics.

The Electronics TakeBack Coalition gives consumers tips on how to spot a fake recycling company. They recommend finding out who is paying for the recycling cost, especially if there is no request for a small recycling fee. These fees ensure that what you are recycling is handled responsibly and complies with government regulations, including whether or not this process takes place in the United States or overseas.

Can you refurbish or repair some items?

Computers and laptops can be easily refurbished and sold again as there is a large market for such products. You can increase the storage or get a new display to increase the lifespan of the device. To avoid electronic waste, many such items can also be repaired and reused for a longer time.

Is data wiped from laptops or smartphones?

This is quite a huge concern for people looking to recycle their devices. It is recommended that you erase the data and all information from computers, laptops, and tablets before sending them to a recycling facility. Wipe the hard drive clean and back up the data to your cloud or storage device. Some recycling businesses also protect confidential information by erasing the drive as part of the process.

What Types of Materials Are Recovered?

Your recycled electronics contain everything from aluminum, palladium, copper, glass, steel, plastics, and precious metals. None of that should end up in landfills; with e-waste recycling, the recoverable products are recovered and turned into new products.

E-Waste Recycling Facts

Global e-waste volumes grew by 21% between 2104 and 2019, according to the United Nations, a pace that will lead to a doubling of e-waste in just 16 years. The world discarded 53.6 million tons of e-waste in 2019.

Only 17.4% of e-waste discarded in 2019 was recycled, the United Nations reports.

Europe leads the world in e-waste recycling, collecting, and processing 42.5% of its 2019 e-waste, according to the International Telecommunications Union. Asia, with 24.9 million tons of e-waste, now accounts for almost twice the e-waste volume the Americas (13.13.1 million tons) produce each year. Asia also recycles more of its e-waste, at 11.7% in 2019, than the Americas do at 9.4%.

The United States generated 6.92 million tons of e-waste, about 46 pounds per person, in 2019. It recycled only 15% of the material.

The value of the raw materials contained in the e-waste produced in the U.S. during 2019 was $7.49 billion. That’s right. We threw away billions of dollars worth of materials that could be used again.

Recycling 1 million laptops saves the energy equivalent to the electricity used by 3,657 U.S. homes in a year, according to the EPA.

For every million cell phones that are recycled, 35,274 pounds of copper, 772 pounds of silver, 75 pounds of gold, and 33 pounds of palladium can be recovered, according to the EPA. For those not familiar with palladium, it’s a precious metal using for making electrical contacts as well as surgical instruments and parts for watches.

Recycling circuit boards can be more valuable than mining for ore! One ton of circuit boards is estimated to contain 40 to 800 times more gold than one metric ton of ore. There is 30 to 40 times more copper in a ton of circuit boards that can be mined from one metric ton of ore.

Old television sets, as well as CRT (cathode ray tube) monitors, contain approximately 4 to 8 pounds of lead, a neurotoxin. Improper disposal means this toxic substance can leach into the ground.

It takes 500 pounds of fossil fuel, 50 pounds of chemicals, and 1.5 tons of water to manufacture one computer and monitor, according to the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

In 2019, between 3.75 million tons and 10.72 million tons of e-waste were shipped to developing countries. Not only did it create a dumping problem in those countries, but it also used resources to transport the waste to countries around the world.

Guiyu, China, is a major dumping ground for e-waste from the U.S. After the e-waste is transported to China, the electronics are dumped in the town where they litter the streets and poison the residents. Workers apply to the electronics to reveal the steel and copper they contain. High levels of lead have been reported among residents.

Not all e-waste recyclers are the same. There are safer ways to recycle e-waste, and then there are companies that simply export the waste to developing countries. Rather than monitoring the recycling of e-waste for health and human safety standards in these developing countries, many businesses simply have residents disassemble the electronics for scrap metal, exposing the workers to toxic materials. Look for an e-waste recycling company that has been vetted through e-stewards.org.

Plastics in e-waste can be recycled into garden furniture. Battery components can be reused in other batteries. Metals can be used in jewelry and automotive parts.

It is estimated that 40% of the heavy metals in U.S. landfills come from discarded electronics, according to Jonas Allen, director of marketing for EPEAT, a global green electronic rating system.

According to Allen, if the recycling rates for gold (15%), silver (15%), and platinum (5%) all increased to 100%, the electronics sector could realize $12 billion in financial and natural capital benefits.

Americans throw out approximately 416,000 mobile phones each day, according to 2014 figures from the EPA. That equates to more than 151 million phones thrown away in one year.

There are more mobile connections worldwide than the number of people on Earth. Based on cellular data, there are 10.36 billion mobile connections, while the world population is 7.84 billion. This doesn’t mean that everyone owns a mobile device; the number of people with mobile devices is estimated at 5.26 billion.

The United Nations estimates that global e-waste volumes could increase by as much as 39% to 74.7 million tons a year by 2030.

Many major retailers will accept e-waste for recycling, regardless of whether you purchased the product from the retailer or not. Among those stores accepting drop-offs are Staples, Verizon, and Best Buy. Always call ahead of time to confirm that stores will accept e-waste and what types of products they will recycle.

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