We are inundated with electronics. But when our devices give out, they become electronic waste, or e-waste, and that means dealing with e-waste disposal.

The problem is that we can't simply throw it all into the household or office trash. Most e-waste disposal is regulated, while most e-waste items are also recyclable. So, what should we do?

There Is Much More to E-Waste Disposal Than Tossing It in the Trash

Of course, who would really know if you slip those old cell phones you've been stashing in a drawer in the kitchen for the last ten years into your kitchen trash? 

Probably no one. 

But if every cell phone owner in the country simply tossed out one, four-year-old old cell phone in their garbage this year, that would add up to about 275,000,000 devices going into our municipal solid waste stream!

And if each of us did this every year, year after year, then there would be over a billion old phones going into our landfills every three to four years.

Cell phones are more-or-less disposable although many of them can arguably be reused for several years. But older phones become obsolete if they don't stop working first. So new phones must be manufactured constantly to meet the growing consumer demand. 

In fact, it's estimated that in the United States alone, there will be over 310 million smartphone users by 2025. And keep in mind, too, that many people own more than one phone.

And certain electronic devices, such as smartphones, are especially hard on the environment. 

An article from a few years ago noted that,

Smartphones are particularly insidious for a few reasons. With a two-year average life cycle, they’re more or less disposable. The problem is that building a new smartphone–and specifically, mining the rare materials inside them–represents 85% to 95% of the device’s total CO2 emissions for two years. That means buying one new phone takes as much energy as recharging and operating a smartphone for an entire decade.

Clearly, a significant part of the solution is to recycle smartphones and other e-waste items, while extracting or recovering as much of the high-value components within them as possible. 

E-Waste Also Means Big Stuff, Too - Not Just Phones

Electronic waste, or e-waste, is composed of a incredibly vast range of consumer and industrial products. 

One source describes it this way,

"E-waste (electronic waste) includes anything with plugs, cords and electronic components. Common sources of e-waste include televisions, computers, mobile phones and any type of home appliance, from air conditioners to children's toys."

And one UC Santa Cruz website notes that,

"Examples of electronic waste include, but not limited to: TVs, computer monitors, printers, scanners, keyboards, mice, cables, circuit boards, lamps, clocks, flashlight, calculators, phones, answering machines, digital/video cameras, radios, VCRs, DVD players, MP3 and CD players."

E-waste in 2022 and beyond is going to be increasingly different, as well, in that so many common electronics have and will have "smart" components that allow them to be part of the IoT, or the Internet of Things.

This is, simply put, the growing trend of producing and buying so-called "smart" products.

And, according to Oracle, The Internet of Things (IoT) describes the network of physical objects—“things”—that are embedded with sensors, software, and other technologies for the purpose of connecting and exchanging data with other devices and systems over the internet.

For the purposes of e-waste disposal, the problem with all these smart devices is that they contain far more potentially hazardous materials in them. And these toxic components can leak into the groundwater near landfills, wreaking environmental havoc over time.

All of which is why proper e-waste disposal is so critical for homes and businesses alike. 

But properly disposing of the various types of electronic waste items we find ourselves with can be confusing and involve a great deal of research and driving around. 

Which is why Junk King specializes in e-waste removal, disposal, and recycling.

E-Waste Disposal Doesn't Have to Mean "Going to the Dump"

As we've noted here, most e-waste items contain materials that are harmful to humans and to the environment. So, keeping as much of these waste products out of our landfills as possible is not only common sense, but leads to other benefits, as well. 

For example, there are literally tons of rare and valuable metals and other elements contained within the mountains of e-waste that are disposed of each year.

Gold, aluminum, copper and rare metals such as indium and neodymium are among these.

Extracting and recovering these materials helps make the entire electronics manufacturing process far more sustainable and environmentally friendly.

And the best part about responsible e-waste disposal is that you really don't have to do it alone. In fact, with just a simple call to Junk King, you can have all your electronic waste items and other junk material quickly and efficiently removed and hauled away. 

In fact, e-waste recycling is a major and growing industry and companies like Junk King play a significant role in this process.

E-waste recycling is the single most efficient and green disposal process for electronic waste.

There are major benefits that are result from recycling e-waste:

A Cleaner Environment

Recycling the waste from electronics saves space in the landfills and prevents the environmental pollution caused by the toxins.

Helps the Economy

Recycling reduces the production costs of goods by avoiding manufacturing components from scratch.

Reuses Resources

Electronics contain a lot of components that can be re-utilized sometimes without any processing, saving resources and energy required for initial manufacturing.

Junk King Can Be Your Partner for E-Waste Disposal and Recycling 

One of the best things about working with Junk King is that we always provide you efficient, safe, and eco-friendly e-waste and junk removal that is designed to make the whole process easy for you.

Not only does our experienced junk removal team have all the resources needed to remove and haul away larger unwanted junk items, we can haul away just about any other junk and trash items you need to get rid of.

And we always work quickly, safely, and in an environmentally safe manner. 

That's because your local Junk King team makes sure that your reusable items end up in the right place. This might be a local non-profit group for those items that are still in usable condition. And then there are all those other unusable items that really don't need to go into a landfill. That's where recycling and reuse and always "being green" comes in.

We make sure that your electronic junk is all disposed of in an eco-friendly method.

For Junk King, being green and environmentally responsible is at the core of our company mission. And we carry out that mission every day by recycling, donating, or repurposing everything we possibly can - up to 60 percent or more, to be exact.

So, when it comes to junk removal, we do all we can to help achieve zero waste by making sure that all the metals, plastics, glass, and other materials are broken down and recycled properly.

And, best of all, we do all the heavy lifting!

You simply point and we haul your junk items into our junk removal trucks, with no hidden fees.

Our professional and insured junk removal and disposal team will call 15 to 30 minutes before we arrive at your home. And, once we’re there, we’ll give you a free estimate based on how much room your bulk trash will take up in our truck, along with any other junk items you want to get rid of.

So, ready to get rid of all your e-waste with a green company? It's as easy as 1, 2, 3!

Just make an appointment by booking online above or by calling 1.888.888.JUNK (5865).