Why Recycle
E-Waste?

Benefits of Recycling Electronic Waste

E-Waste contains hazardous but valuable and scarce materials. Up to 60 elements can be found in complex electronics. Recycling raw materials from end-of-life electronics is the most effective solution to the growing e-waste problem. Throwing away our old electronics means loosing valuable minerals and electronic components that could be reused. This includes gold, copper, metal, and plastic.

Prevent E-Waste from going into Landfills

When old electronics are thrown into a landfill, the energy that goes into making that product is lost. The result of his is that more energy and water is used make new products. This will emitt more greenhouse gases, use the limited available water, and wastes the natural resources used to make a product.

What happens to my electronics after I turn them into Yellowstone E-Waste?

Our team carefully sorts and packages most of the electronics received for recycling to ship to one of our e-waste processors. We follow strict guidelines to ensure items are safely stacked and wrapped on pallets. They are then sent to a U.S. processor to be broken down into their component materials to prepare for reuse. The recycling process separates equipment into component parts – such as lead glass, precious metals, non-precious metals, plastics, and glass – then these materials are available to manufacturers.

Some of the items collected at our facility (e.g. newer computers) may be refurbished and offered as used electronics.

How Big is the E-Waste Problem?

E-Waste is the fastest growing waste stream! The category of “selected consumer electronic products” grew by almost 5% from 2007 to 2008. The waste has grown from 2.84 million tons to 3.01 million tons and has now reached 3.16 million tons. While it’s not the largest part of the waste stream, e‐waste shows a higher growth rate than any other category of municipal waste, according to the EPA’s report. Overall, between 2007 and 2008, total volumes of municipal waste DECREASED, while e‐waste continues to increase.

The EPA’s most recent e‐waste report shows that we got rid of 2.4 million TONS of e‐waste in 2010. (That’s the latest year for available data.)

What about e-waste exporting and global impact?

See https://www.electronicstakeback.com/about-us/

What do the terms “going green” and “sustainable living” mean exactly?

“Going green” is a popular term used to describe the process of changing one’s lifestyle to benefit the environment. People who “go green” make decisions in their daily lives by considering what impact they have on global warming, pollution, loss of animal habitats, and other environmental concerns.

Sustainable living involves limiting your use of natural resources and increasing self-sufficiency. This is usually achieved by changing modes of transportation, conserving energy, changing one’s diet, and buying locally produced items over imported items.