Like many of us who receive new electronics
as holiday gifts we need find a new home for our old devices. This poses a
problem. We might already have a perfectly working item but it could be out of
date or just not usable anymore. Technology is moving fast and it is next
to impossible to keep up. The question is what do we do with this old unwanted
stuff?
It's not easy being green. It's
understandable why many electronics end up in a dumpster.
However, this is not the best place for them
even tough it might seem the easiest. Many
electronics contain hazardous materials such as lead, cadmium in circuit boards
and mercury in batteries. Older computer screens and televisions
contain cathode ray tubes (CRT's). CRT's contain leaded glass to protect
the user from the x-rays inside the tubes. Lead is a hazardous material
that can cause environmental and health damage if not managed safely.
An alternative to throwing away
your electronics is to give them to someone who can turn it into something good. Non-profit groups
such as Goodwill Industries will take your old computer for free. Make sure to
wipe out any personal information you may have on your system before donating.
Goodwill will responsibly refurbish, reuse or recycle the equipment, benefiting
communities and putting people to work. And you can use your donation as a tax
write off. Talk about a win-win situation! Visit Goodwill's website for drop
off locations and more information on what is accepted. http://www.goodwill.org/get-involved/donate/donation-acceptance-guidelines/
Trade in and Save. Another
solution is to take your electronics to Best Buy. Your item might have a trade
in value. Now through 1/19/13 Best Buy will give you a minimum $5 gift card
when you trade in any small device, working or not. If your item has no trade
in value they will recycle it for free. Visit bestbuy.com/TradeIn for details.
There are many ways to properly
dispose of things you do not need anymore. Please keep in mind if you can not
use something yourself there is someone else out there who can. You might make
some money in the process!
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