Safely Disposing Of Your Company's E-Waste

Posted on: 14 August 2019

Electronics are an essential part of modern life, but they can be a surprisingly difficult type of waste to manage. This is especially applicable for businesses that may have large amounts of e-waste that will need proper disposal or recycling.

Why Is It Necessary To Recycle Electronics?

Recycling old or broken electronics can be the most efficient and environmentally-sound option for disposing of these items. Unfortunately, it is common for electronics to contain chemicals or other substances that could be extremely harmful to the environment if they are allowed to seep out. This is especially true for electronics that contain batteries, as the chemicals used to generate the electrical current can be extremely toxic. Due to these concerns, individuals should generally opt to recycle these items as these facilities will be able to prevent this type of environmental contamination from occurring.

Are Broken Components Worth Saving For Salvage Parts?

Businesses will often accumulate broken electronics at a surprising rate. Often, business leaders may decide that attempting to save these components for salvage is an efficient course of action. While this can be a useful approach in some circumstances, individuals will often take this to an extreme and save items that may be of little practical use. For businesses that need to face this decision on a regular basis, it might be best to have a policy in place for a designated IT staffer to inspect and test any broken components for salvageable parts. By formalizing this process, you can create an inventory of the spare electronic components that you have available while also know which items can be safely recycled. Once you have started to collect salvaged components, you should dedicate a storage area that is climate controlled and organized so that these components will be kept in usable condition until you have a need for them.

Do Electronics Need To Be Prepared Before They Can Be Recycled?

Some electronic items will need basic preparations to get them ready to be recycled. Luckily, this is a very simple process. In fact, the most important and complicated aspect of preparing these items for recycling will be to remove any sensitive data that they may hold. This is especially true for hard drives, as it can be easy for sensitive customer or company data to end up on these hard drives, and ensuring that they are thoroughly erased will prevent malicious individuals from being able to access and utilize this data.

Contact an electronics recycling service near you in order to learn more.

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