Don’t Let Your E-Waste Go To Waste

Courtesy of UNEP

Don’t Let Your E-Waste Go To Waste

by Sweiskloss Staff
April 25, 2024

An ancient iPhone, an old TV set, remotes that belong to tech you no longer even have in your home, all those extra power cords in the junk drawer…. This year don’t just discard those unwanted electronic items. Several locations and organizations throughout the city make recycling e-waste easier than ever. According to United Nations Environment Program, “some 45 million metric tons of phones, computers, and other so-called e-waste are produced a year.” Components of recycled computers and old PCs are a good source of secondary materials. However, composed of dioxins, PCBS, lead and mercury, among other substances, they are also a source of harmful toxins if not properly disposed. Dumped into landfills, these substances are harmful to Mother Nature and humans. Certified companies offer a secure e-waste recycling process from pickup to transport to processing. From our compost bin to non-paper towels, here at our SweisKloss office we are committed to sustainability and recycling. This year, spring cleaning generated a collection of old computer monitors, desktops, keyboards, and power cables that were collecting dust. With a few clicks of the mouse, we easily scheduled a pick up from Tech Waste Recycling (https://www.techwasterecycling.com/electronics-recycling/) to collect our items. Their website provided a clear list of qualifying items as well as non-qualifying items, such as 2 giant TVs and a calculator, they would collect as a courtesy. With 10 or more qualifying pieces, we enjoyed Tech Waste’s free collection service which was easy to schedule and on-time. Another company that provides similar e-waste recycling services to businesses is Elian Electronic Recycling, who also handle medial and testing equipment. SK’s Green Team co-leader, Jessica Handy, dropped off her personal e-waste at one of the city’s S.A.F.E. centers on the UCLA campus. (https://ehs.ucla.edu/news/la-city-safe-collection-site). She never had to even leave her car! The efficient staff came to her vehicle and collected all her boxes. Looking for other locations where you can drop off e-waste? Staples. O’Reilly’s Auto Center and the SM Library and Bourget take used batteries. Our office deep cleaning also left us with piles of wood and tile samples from various vendors for past projects. We were thrilled that many vendors arranged to collect their old samples. However, we still had a stack of unwanted tiles and wood slabs, which we donated to the reDiscover Center. reDiscover educates “youth… in transforming discarded materials into art, functional objects, and tools for learning,” thereby nurturing creativity and environmental sustainability.