It's that time of year again... Spring Cleaning. Let's face it we all have junk that we put in a corner of the garage or a drawer (or two) that is the catch all for "I'll take care of this later..." Well this year we're here to help! During the month of May, Bringing Your Tech to Life will be scheduling E-Waste Pickups for existing and new clients.
What is E-Waste? E-waste is a popular, informal name for electronic products nearing the end of their "useful life." Computers, televisions, VCRs, stereos, copiers, and fax machines are common electronic products. Many of these products can be reused, refurbished, or recycled.
Bringing Your Tech to Life has partnered with Piedmont E-Cycling of Kernersville, NC for over five years. Piedmont E-Cycling follows all State and Federal Regulations pertaining to E-Waste Management. Any device containing personal information will be handled with care to insure all data is permanently destroyed. This means drilling out Hard Disk Drives and Flash Media found in computers or erasing data on Smart Phones and Tablets for example. If you'd like to research further check out "DoD 5220.22-M". Bringing Your Tech to Life takes damaged devices and breaks them down to core components. These components can then be picked up by Piedmont E-Cycling so they may be melted down and turned into new tech! Devices that may still be salvageable will be repaired and either donated or sold.
If you have E-Waste and would like to schedule a pickup, simply visit our website www.BringingYourTechtoLife.com. Submit a ticket with your name, physical address, phone number and the type of equipment you have. We'll schedule a date sometime in the month of May to come out and pick it up. Our hope is we can schedule multiple pickups in the same locations to minimize the trip fee which is calculated by mileage. We will begin scheduling May 6th 2019.
What We'll Take
Desktops
Laptops
Networking Equipment (Routers/Switches)
Game Systems
Cell Phones
Cameras
Tablets
LCD / LED Televisions
LCD and LED Monitors
Cables
Storage Drives (HDD, SSDs, CDs, DVDs, Floppy Disks)
Printers, Scanners, Copiers, Fax Machines
Lithium Ion Batteries
Keyboards and Mice
Land Line Phones
(If Unsure or Not Listed - ASK)
What We Won't Take
CRT Monitors
CRT Televisions
Plasma Televisions
Projector Televisions
Household Appliances
Why it Matters?
(Source https://get-green-now.com)
This year, the world will see the highest rates of electronic waste in history. Unfortunately, our infrastructure for dealing with e-waste has not caught up to the rapid growth and innovation of the modern electronics industry. As a responsible consumer, it is important to do your part and prevent old electronics from becoming hazardous electronic waste. Here are the four reasons why e-waste management is so important:
There’s More E-Waste Than Ever
According to the University of Columbia’s Earth Institute blog, we discarded 49 million tons of e-waste in 2016, and that number is on track to grow to 60 million tons by 2021.
Electronic waste is growing at an alarming rate, and there’s no sign of slowing down. Currently, the amount of e-waste worldwide is growing at a rate of 1.8 million metric tons per year.
We all need to be diligent about how we manage our electronic waste. Reducing our e-waste footprint, even on an individual level, will reduce the amount of the most toxic materials polluting our environment.
By managing our e-waste properly, we can reduce the amount of hazardous electronic waste we send to landfills. Therefore, we can reduce the amount of pollution we release into the environment.
We Aren’t Recycling Enough
Obviously, our consumer electronics have to go somewhere after the end of their lifespan.
Unfortunately, many electronic devices go straight into the garbage after we’re done using them. In fact, according to the EPA, only 12.5% of global E-waste is recycled. This is one reason why we should care more about how our e-waste is managed. If we manage electronic waste properly, it won’t go into a landfill and it will have a smaller impact on the environment.
When products are properly recycled, the components can be repurposed for future use and remain out of the pollution flow. Parts like iron-based metal, glass, and plastic casings can be melted down and reused as raw materials.
However, when E-waste gets thrown into landfills instead of being properly recycled, the environment suffers. Hazardous materials can seep into groundwater reservoirs and eventually out into rivers, lakes and oceans, affecting marine habitats disproportionately.
Most electronics contain toxic materials that are extremely difficult to remove once they’ve entered the ecosystem through illegal dumping or through landfills.
There are More Data Breaches Than Ever
Data protection and e-waste management are deeply intertwined. Every memory-based device that is improperly recycled or disposed can have its data harvested for valuable information.
When a company is stringent about its data protection practices, it may likely involve the reorganization of data from obsolete sources such as outdated hard drives, servers, and other data-sensitive hardware.
The same goes for citizens on a smaller scale. Being sure about where your data is will reduce the chance that it ends up in the wrong hands. Use a flash drive or external hard drive to relocate data from an old device to a new one.
News of data breaches is all around us in 2019. Think of Yahoo or Equifax’s major security breakdowns as an example – Data breaches are becoming more severe and far-reaching than ever before, potentially affecting millions of people.
When obsolete hardware is considered an afterthought rather than a liability, private citizens and business organizations alike open themselves to the possibility of a data breach.
Managing your own used electronics will require a strict attention to any old, sensitive data that still exists. Be sure to double check for any security liabilities before you handle your e-waste.
Organizations Need Donations
Old devices can be refurbished and repurposed to extend their lifespan. By donating your e-waste, you can provide local institutions with the technology that they need, and transform an inconvenience into a valuable asset once more.