Hello All,
As my year of collecting E-waste off the streets and shuttling them to whatever facility will accept them for recycling comes to a close, I wanted to commemorate the experience with a spreadsheet, ah, sweet spreadsheets. In total, I collected 34 items which collectively was probably hundreds of pounds of waste. Unfortunately, I did not take the time to weigh the items, but did take down all their specs in case I needed actual weights for reporting someday.
In summary, I learned that it is inconvenient to recycle electronics, which is why many people opt to throw them out with regular garbage. The good news is, there are many free recycling drop-off options still available, you just have to look for them. Staples and Best Buy are reliable drop off locations that accept most electronics in any condition. Goodwill is a good place to bring working electronics, but note that you must have all associated chords, cables, and remotes for them to accept your donation. Also, they actually throw out, in the garbage, electronics that are found to be broken, so keep that in mind. Other than Staples, Best Buy, and Goodwill, there are also scrap metal/other drop off facilities that may be available to you in your area, you just have to do a little research. Feel free to contact me if you need help investigating.
Without further ado, my life’s work in 2020–
| Computers | Monitors | TVs | Printers | Laptops | Other |
| Dell Vostro PC – Windows 7 home prem OA – mailed to Dell for recycling | LG computer screen Flatron E2211PU-BN | Sony LCD color tv model no: klv-s19A10 (HEAVY) serial no 7016499 | HP printer – photosmart C4600 Series | Lenovo laptop – Thinkpad T430s and charger | Panasonic dvd player, DVD-S27 |
| Dell Optiplex Sx270, model no: DCT (~15lbs), mailed to dell for recycling | Dell monitor and keyboard – model no. 1504 fp (~30lbs) – mailed to dell for recycling | Insignia LCD tv model no NS-L 19Q-10A – mailed to Dell for recycling | Epson Printer Stylus NX300 model C362A | Sony DVD player/Video Casette Recorder Model No – SLV-D300P | |
| Dell monitor- model no 1702fp Rev A01 17” | RCA 32” HD LED TV Model No – RT3205-C | Printer – Canon- TS6020 | Emerson DVD Player – Model # EWD7004 (1800-256-2487 for help with operating) – mailed to dell for reycling | ||
| LG Monitor, 38″ x 23″ 43UF6430 Model No: 43UF6430-4B | Intertek – LE (brand?) Super4 X43 Pro – LED Tv – 38” X 23” HEAVY probably 40lbs Maybe the brand is called – Le Shi Zhi Xin Electronic Technology (Tianjin) Limited | Brother, Worksmart Series, MFC-J680DW | Cooler Master haf 392 | ||
| Samsung – Standard Telvision Receiving Apparatus Model Code UN32J5003AFXZA Version No LS03 | HP Deskjet 2540 All-in-one series Serial No. CN37U1FGVX FPU No. A9U22-64001 Regulatory Model No. SNPRB-1204-02, appears to work, turns on, out of ink | Samson – servo-170 studio amplifier 85 watt stereo – heavy ~30 lbs | |||
| Panasonic High Definition Plasma Television, model TH-42PX600U (70 lbs) | Kenwood Compact Disc Player SL16 XS8, “Kenwood Multiple CD Player” CD-204, 1BIT dual D/A converter | ||||
| Haier Model: 32E2000 TFT-LED LCD Colour Television Receiver | Ubee Interactive Corp. TWC Model: DVW32CB – Wireless Modem | ||||
| Sharp Liquid Crystal TV Model LC-32D43U Serial no: 711851587 | Speaker Intertek Listed 3044275 CA3554 | ||||
| Panasonic = Plasma HDTV Model No:TC-P42S1 | |||||
| Emerson – Funai Corporation – Model No: LC391EM3* | |||||
| Hisense LED LCD TV Model No 65R6E3 4.75 ft by 2.75 ft. | |||||
| RCA Model No. L26HD32D**26″ x18″ Serial No. 196EH29Y May 2008 722565A063SH…works, has remote | |||||
| Samsung Model No. LN40B550K1F Model Code LN40B550K1FXZA S/N AUD03CLSA00365M*** 39″ x 2ft, works, no remote Version AA04 | |||||
| Hisense Model No. 32D12 Item:D12-WX01A WLCH032D1201446 Manufacture Date 6/03 Works, no note about disposal on TV 18″x 30″ |
*Sticker (in TINY text) on back of this item states: “THIS LCD TV Contains a lamp with Mercury, please dispose of according to all local, state, and federal laws.” It was not treated as such.
**Also had sticker that said “This product contains Mercury and must be recycled or disposed of according to applicable local, state, or federal laws. Visit rca.com/tv for more information. Note: This link lead to a webpage providing ZERO information about recycling as far as I could see. Emailed customer service, waiting to hear back, email bounced back..shadyyyyy. 1800968-9853 will have to call
***Had in fine print on back sticker, Contains Mercury, dispose according to local, state, or federal laws
In summary, electronics are meant to be recycled. They usually have tiny stickers or text somewhere on the body of the electronic item indicating that the item contains toxic chemicals that must be disposed of properly in order to preserve human and environmental health. Why that is in fine print, I don’t know. In addition to protecting human and environmental health, recycling electronics is important because it promotes reuse of materials. With a reliable supply of recycled parts, the recycling industry is strengthened, and companies can be encouraged to use recycled materials in place of raw materials. Finally, recycling electronics also prevents environmental and species destruction in places where electronic components are taken from the earth, for example chimpanzee habitat in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
It is interesting to note that the majority of items I found set out with regular garbage were large flatscreen televisions and printers. It appears education needs to be put into place to educate consumers on the appropriate way to dispose of their items once they reach the end of their useful life.
And thats about all I have to say about that. I’ll leave you with a photo montage of this years’ collections:
Zero Waste Cleaning
In other news, on the path towards Zero Waste living, I have a new development–plastic free cleaning supplies. The short story is that instead of buying windex and other cleaners in plastic spray-bottles, you can instead buy glass spray bottles and use either white vinegar and water (1:1 ratio) or hydrogen peroxide for cleaning. CAUTION: USE SEPARATELY, when mixed, vinegar and hydrogen peroxide form an acid. Here is an article that provides recipes and in depth information about the applications of each as a house-hold cleaner –click here for article. While they are not as killer as other chemical cleaning products, vinegar and hydrogen peroxide (separately, remember) are effective disinfectants for e-coli and salmonella bacteria, so thats good. They can also be used to kill mold. Also, vinegar is effective in cleaning windows and mirrors, so why bother with windex ever again?
Vote for a Plastic Free Amazon
My final thought for you all today is, lets show amazon that we want plastic free shipping options!
Here is a petition you can sign, created by a marketing lady who’s goal is to help businesses grow while adopting sustainable practices. The petition asks Amazon to provide a “Plastic-free” option during checkout to request no bubble wrap to be used in the delivery package, as well as a label on plastic-free products. The goal is to get 100,000 signatures and they’re already at 650,000. Take a moment to add your name and reduce the amount of plastic flowing into your home. Remember to uncheck the box that asks if you want to join the mailing list.
Here is that link: http://chng.it/ppJMHWYYfK
And finally, some recent packaging inspired creativity, a window covering:
Junebugbayer 