PC Graveyard in Harding, KwaZulu-Natal
What?s E-waste?
Anything that uses electricity and becomes redundant changes into e-waste.
This includes computers, entertainmentelectronics, mobile phones, householdappliances, etc.
E-waste is a popular, informal name for electronic products nearing the end of their "useful life." Computers, televisions, VCRs, stereos, copiers, and fax machines are common electronic products.
Many of these products can be reused, refurbished, or recycled. Unfortunately, electronic discards is one of the fastest growing segments of our nation's waste stream.
Just the phrase ?e-waste? makes it sound like your favorite electronics can do a lot of damage if disposed of improperly. But just what exactly is so toxic about these devices that they account for 70 percent of the overall toxic waste that you currently find in landfills?
In addition to valuable metals like aluminum, electronics often contain hazardous materials like mercury. When placed in a landfill, these materials (even in small doses) can contaminate soil as well as drinking water. But let?s take it a step further and see what (and how much) toxic material is in your average electronic device.
Computers
We?ve already discussed the presence of lead in CRTcomputermonitors, but there are other toxic elements in play when you?re recycling that PC or Mac. Many laptops have a small fluorescent lamp in the screen that contains mercury, a toxic material when inhaled or digested.
Mercury is also contained in computer circuit boards, which also include lead and cadmium. Circuit boards can also feature batteries made of mercury, as well as mercury switches.
In just 2005, almost two million tons of e-waste ended up in landfills. While toxic materials comprise only a small amount of this volume, it doesn?t take much lead or mercury to contaminate an area?s soil or water supply. Keep this in mind when you?re figuring out what to do with those old electronic devices.
Televisions
Back before there were plasma screen and liquid crystal display (LCD) tubes, we were all watching our Super Bowls and sitcoms on cathode ray tubes (CRT). The CRT model provided room for all your switches and wires in a box behind the screen, but it also stored a lot of lead.
According to Electronic Recyclers, a provider of e-waste recycling, approximately 20 percent of CRTs are comprised of lead, equivalent to between four and eight pounds per unit.
Combine this with the fact that the FCC is going to require all televisions to run a digital signal by February 19, 2009, and we could be looking at a lot of lead headed for landfills. Even the smallest amounts of lead can be a serious issue, and we?re talking about eight pounds per unit.
Cellular Phones
While your trusty cellular phone may not contain as much toxic material as larger electronic devices, its shelf life is only about a year and a half for the average consumer. With hip new products like the iPhone coming out all the time, it?s estimated there are over 500 million used cell phones ready for disposal.
Cell phone coatings are often made of lead, meaning that if these 500 million cell phones are disposed of in landfills it will result in 312,000 pounds of lead released. But possibly the most hazardous component of the cellular phone is the battery.
Cell phone batteries were originally composed of nickel and cadmium (Ni-Cd batteries). Cadmium is linked as a human carcinogen that causes lung and liver damage. Alternatives contain the potentially explosive lithium, or the previously stated toxic material lead.
Electronic Waste
Electronic waste is a name given to any piece of electronic equipment that is at the end of its useful life. Some of these products can be resold, refurbished, or dismantled to rescue resalable goods. Others, however, serve no ?useful? purpose and are discarded. In 2008, there were 4.6 Billion Pounds of E-waste in the United States. However, less than 900 million Pounds (19%) of that waste was recycled. Most of it ended up in landfills either in the United States or was shipped to other countries such as China, India, Malaysia, and Pakistan.
Exportation
The exportation of E-waste has recently attracted a significant amount of attention from the media and governments all around the world because of the damage caused to people and the environment. Many countries are beginning to outlaw the import of E-Waste which is creating a need for much more domestic recycling.
Donate Your E-Waste
What We Accept
The PC Graveyard generally accepts e-waste items that contain electronic circuitry, whether working or not. We cannot accept items that may dispense hazardous fumes, liquids or gases. Thank you for your donations.
List of Electronic Waste Accepted
? Answering Machines, Recorders
? CD/DVDDrives, VCRs, Recorders, Players
? Calculators (handheld, desktop, cash registers)
? Cameras (still or movie, digital or cartridge)
? Cell Phones/Blackberries/ Palm products
? Computer Backup Batteries
? Computers/Laptops/ Desktops
? Computer Wire/ Cables (all types)
? Dictation Machines, Recorders
? Dry Ink Toner Cartridges
? Empty Computer Cases
? Fax Machines
? Hard Drives
? Ink Cartridges (empty or full)
? Keyboards, Mice, Speakers
? Medical Monitoring Devices
? Microwave Ovens
? Miscellaneous Computer Parts
? Monitors
? Motherboards
? Power Supplies
? Printers
? Radios, Walkie-Talkies
? Servers
? Telephones
? Televisions (consoles, HDTV, plasma, portable, etc.)
? Large Floor Model Copy Machines
List of Electronic Waste Not Accepted
? Batteries of any size or type (e.g. AAA, AA, C, D, 9V) unless contained in the device
? Electronic White Boards
? Hazardous Materials
? Plotters
? X-Ray Equipment
The E-Waste we receive from participating businessesindividuals gets categorized into usable and non-usable components.60% of the usable components are refurbished and sold to defray running costs, and the remaining 40% are used to build up computers which are donated to schools, churches and charities. We also recycle all non-usable components through various large recycling firms. So contact us for your best solution for your end-of-life electronics ? A viable alternative to e-waste at NO COST TO YOU.
REMARKETING:
1.Sale of Equipment and Components
The PC Graveyard checks the e-waste to find working equipments and components good for the reuse and remarket them after refurbishing and upgrading wherever possible.
2.Lease of Equipment
The PC Graveyard prefers to give the equipment on lease to students, schools, hospitals and the underprivileged, so that at the end of life these equipments are returned back to The PC Graveyard for final disposal at its facility.
3.Sale of various recovered material
Recovered commodities like iron, steel, aluminium, copper, plastic, glass, etc.are sold to the respectisve smelters.
Contact Jessie 0711996888