Do you have an area in your house or at your company where a collection of dated old gadgets are just piled up? All those that seem like ancient electronics are easy to dispose of in the trash, but don’t do that! By disposing of obsolete electronics in the trash, those electronics will more than likely end up in landfills. E-waste is very harmful to the environment because it produces very harmful toxins to humans and animals.
Obsolete products that should be recycled are computers (monitors and towers), laptops, TVs, printers, Fax machines, scanners, keyboards and mice, DVD players, VCR machines, cable receivers, DVR, cable converter box, cell phones, game consoles, MP3 players, small servers, e-readers, and even digital picture frames. Now not all of these devices contain personal information that could put people at risk for identity theft, but all of these devices contain harmful chemicals that could affect the environment unless they are recycled properly.
According to the International Environmental Technology Center (IETC) of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), the volume of e-waste is increasing by 40% per year worldwide. The UNEP estimates that 80% of e-waste is still going into landfills and incinerators. E-waste is the fastest-growing type of waste, particularly in developing countries where the volume is expected to grow by up to 500% over the next decade.