It might be a strange question to ask at first thought; but if you get new electronics to replace your old ones then do you just get rid of the old ones? Likely. Chances are you pass it on to someone else, or throw it out entirely instead. It could in fact also just make its way to a drawer in your home collecting dust and taking up space. While that certainly gets the old out of the way so you can enjoy the new without interference, it does come with some risks as well. When it comes to old electronics you really should demonstrate a bit more diligence in how you get rid of it.
Avoiding The Landfill
If you’re just going to throw out a device, you need to make sure it does not end up in the landfill. There are several reasons for this line of thought. It prevents unnecessary material from filling up landfills, prevents toxic materials from leaking into the environment, and it ensures you are not going to be at risk of data theft.
Let’s look at each of these in turn:
Electronics are not items that break down quickly in the landfill. As more and more get dumped they ultimately just build up and up until there is no more space. This causes new landfills to be opened, which will just end up being filled up in short order, causing the cycle to repeat again. By ensuring electronics are sent to be properly recycled, you’ll be keeping them out of the dump and contributing to the fact that all material will be reused for new products, which supports sustainability efforts.
Keeping them out of landfills also helps keep their materials from leaking toxic chemicals into the environment as they break down slowly. These chemicals seep into the earth, find their way into the air, and get washed into the water supply. Eventually they find their way into plants, animals, and ourselves. The build up of these in our systems can cause serious health risks.
Finally we come to the risk of data theft. Usually people will delete the data off their devices when getting rid of them, and they assume this means the data is lost forever. Sadly, this is not the case. Deleting isn’t a sure way of permanently destroying data. Your best option is to seek out professional hard drive destruction services like those offered by Tri-State Shredding. If you’d like to learn more about this topic, check out our article on it.
If you end up with some old electronics you need to get rid of after the holidays, resist the urge of throwing them in the trash. Reach out to us here at Tri-State Shredding and we’ll help to ensure everything is destroyed securely and properly.
Call: 717-233-5606