Integrated Circuits
So you have an old computer sitting in storage and there’s that old cell phone that you kept in case you needed some information from it. There’s the printer that doesn’t work and besides, the cord is for a computer that might as well be a dinosaur. Well, there is hope for these items. They can be recycled.
You can’t just put electronics in your recycling bin at home. Contact your city to see if they have a special collection or a drop-off point. Try calling your recycling company, too. Even if they don’t take these items, they may know who will. In my town, there is an electronics recycling day. It is wildly popular! People come from miles around and fill a couple of semi truck beds full of old electronics.
What happens to these old electronics? Some of them are put directly into use: computers for underprivileged children, cell phones for the elderly to use for emergencies, and simply resale. Others are disassembled and stripped of valuable materials that can be recycled individually. You should ask what will happen to your old electronics. You want a reputable company doing these things. If your electronics end up in a third-world country that burns them to extract the more valuable materials, the plastics will cause a super toxin to form in the air, and that affects the air we all breathe.
