Recycling a Computer
Of the estimated 10 million computers that are probably put out to pasture every year, about 1.5 million find their final resting place in landfills, while 7.5 million sit on shelves collecting dust, according to one study (ILSR). As more computers go into obsolescence, that annual total is expected to rise. The Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR) estimates that many American companies dispose of up to one-third of their computers every year. While computers typically will take up less than 1 percent of a landfill's volume, they contain toxic materials. "Computers are not hazardous waste when they're in use," says Chris Beling, solid waste project manager with the EPA in Boston. But if they're ground up, crushed or burnt in incinerators, they expose elements including lead, phosphorus, cadmium and mercury to the air or perhaps into ground water. Although businesses are prohibited from land filling their computers, residential users aren't, and they account for the large number of toxic contributions to landfills. So what can be done with them? The most obvious way to recycle your computer is to sell or consign it. A number of computer brokers have started in the last five years, m
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Approximate Word count = 1089
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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