Delaware Residents Sitting on Electronic Gold Mine in Their Junk Drawers

Countless Delaware households are hoarding unused smartphones, tablets, and other gadgets in drawers and closets. With only 22% of electronic waste properly recycled globally, experts say better disposal habits could help the environment and even lower future device costs.

Countless Delaware households harbor a familiar secret: drawers and storage spaces crammed with forgotten smartphones, tablets, fitness bands, and other gadgets that have outlived their usefulness. The challenge lies in determining proper disposal methods, which often appear expensive or cumbersome.

Global electronic waste production reaches staggering levels annually. The United Nations’ latest data shows worldwide e-waste generation hit 137 billion pounds (62 million metric tons) during 2022, with proper recycling occurring for merely 22% of these discarded devices. The Environmental Protection Agency reports similar recycling rates for the United States, with less than one-quarter of electronic waste receiving appropriate processing each year.

Environmental protection requires keeping electronic waste away from landfills, as these devices harbor materials capable of causing ecological damage. Electronics also house precious metals and rare earth elements that prove difficult to obtain, making their recovery economically beneficial for companies.

“The way that we’re creating and using and disposing of these devices has generated this completely unsustainable waste stream,” said Rick Neitzel, an environmental health sciences professor at the University of Michigan. “And there’s no signs of that abating at all. In fact, the trend continues to accelerate.”

According to specialists, increased consumer participation in e-waste recycling could potentially reduce electronics pricing. Consider these recommendations.

Electronic waste recycling presents greater complexity compared to standard recyclables like plastic containers or cardboard packaging. Traditional materials can go into curbside bins or public collection points, but electronic devices require research to locate appropriate disposal facilities.

“Cardboard comes in many shapes and sizes, but at the end of the day, it’s still cardboard,” Neitzel said.

Electronic products span from tiny earpieces to massive refrigerators, each containing distinct internal materials, he explained. Processing facilities must extract individual components and materials with precision. This represents a complicated, energy-demanding, and costly operation.

However, these efforts provide significant returns. Materials including steel, aluminum, copper, gold, silver, plastics, and glass can be salvaged and repurposed, according to John Shegerian, founder of Electronic Recyclers International.

Preventing dangerous substances from reaching landfills offers additional motivation.

“These electronics — which could and have historically ended up in our landfills or in other inappropriate places — can leak all the stuff that’s contained there within: Mercury, lead, cadmium, beryllium, arsenic. All these things are horrible if they get into our environmental ecosystem,” Shegerian said.

Specialists emphasize that extracting valuable metals from devices benefits environmental conservation by reducing mining demands for these resources.

Personal information storage may discourage some consumers from recycling their devices. Specialists recommend beginning with complete factory restoration rather than simple file deletion for data protection.

Factory restoration returns devices to original configurations while thoroughly eliminating stored information. Following manufacturer guidelines proves essential, as each device requires specific procedures. Clearing Android devices involves different steps compared to iPhone data removal. The Cyber Security and Infrastructure Agency offers data protection guidance, including manufacturer instruction locations.

Factory restoration may still leave information traces, prompting some recycling facilities to completely destroy hard drives and verify their destruction. Remaining materials then undergo standard recycling procedures.

Functioning newer devices may receive manufacturer refurbishment for resale. Various charitable organizations and recycling centers can restore devices for distribution to individuals requiring technology access.

Major electronics and computer companies often provide return shipping for outdated equipment through buyback programs or partner drop-off locations. Apple provides purchase credits for sufficiently recent trade-ins while offering free recycling for older equipment.

Salvation Army and Goodwill Industries operate donation programs accepting certain used electronics, though consumers should verify specific store requirements. People should avoid overwhelming these organizations with items they cannot sell or properly dispose of.

Manufacturers remain the preferred destination even for non-refurbishable devices, according to experts.

“The manufacturers are where we want this stuff to end up because they know their products, they know best and most efficiently how to recycle them,” Neitzel said.

Retail chains including Best Buy and Staples accept various devices for recycling purposes. Best Buy offers television and large appliance removal services for fees when customers purchase replacements, then coordinates with electronics recycling companies.

Local governments typically exclude electronics from curbside recycling but frequently maintain drop-off sites listed on their websites.

“Typically, if you’re dropping them off at a government-run electronic waste collection station, you can be confident in that,” Neitzel said.

Recycle Nation enables consumers to search specific items and discover local facilities accepting those products by zip code.

Additional mail-in services include Amazon and Waste Management. Consumers can request shipping containers, fill them with unwanted electronics, and return them via mail.

Certain programs impose modest charges. Some return locations require small processing fees such as $5 per monitor, or establish costs based on return weight or carload quantities for personal drop-offs.

Recycling remains crucial for domestic mineral and rare earth supply chains even when devices cannot receive refurbishment, explained Terence Musho, an associate professor of engineering at West Virginia University.

Enhanced mineral recovery processes and improved recycling participation could benefit consumers in another way, he noted: “It can also potentially bring down the price of your future electronics.”