Do You Know The Dangers Of E-Waste?

With the increase in the amount of technology being thrown away, e-waste is quickly becoming a growing problem. E-waste, also known as electronic waste, is any form of electronic waste that ends up in landfills. E-waste can consist of anything from old printers and faxes to desktop computers and phones. One of the problems is that since technology changes so quickly, newer models of products are released in quick succession. Consumers opt to purchase more new items and suddenly no longer require their old products. Instead of recycling their old products, they are thrown away where they end up in landfills.

Also, many people are unaware of the problems of e-waste. The fact that landfills are quickly reaching their max capacity is a severe problem but how e-waste affects the environment is a problem that is not discussed as much. Most pieces of technology have a trace amount of metals as well as hazardous elements. Some of these include mercury, arsenic, lithium, lead, zinc, barium, and cadmium to name a few. These dangerous materials then leak into the ground where they can reach water deposits or stay in the soil. These elements can find their way to water supplies and even the air where they can affect humans. A new study from the Environmental Research Letter found that e-waste pollution in the air caused inflammation and stress to the lungs which can lead to heart disease and even cancer.

Instead of merely throwing away e-waste, the best way to dispose of it is to have it adequately recycled using one of the e-waste disposal services in LA. When e-waste is recycled, not only can you avoid adding to the landfill problem, precious metals from the products can also be collected. This will lead to less stress on mining for these limited resources. Many companies such as Best Buy and Staples offer recycling drop off centers so you can quickly drop off your e-waste.