The Benefits Of Computer Recycling

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The personal computer is the sixth most commonly owned electronic device in the United States, according to a 2005 household electronic saturation rate study. Computers, along with many other electronic devices, are bared from being disposed of in municipal waste plants due to the amounts of hazardous materials they contain; materials including mercury, chromium and lead. The only way to properly dispose of personal computers is to recycle them.

Your Computer as a Source of Natural Resources
We all live in a world where natural resources are becoming more scarce each day. Computers contain a treasure-trove of precious metals that can be reused. Computer motherboards contain 310 parts per million (ppm) of gold, which is used as a heat absorber. Numerous wireless accessories for computer also contain over 150 ppm of palladium, which is used in the production of ceramic capacitors. The recycling of these metals decreases their global demand, in turn lowering their prices and decreasing the necessity of mining for them.

What Parts of a Computer can be Recycled
Computers are composed of numerous parts, many of which contain materials applicable to recycling. These parts include computer monitors, keyboards, disk drives, cathode ray tubes, cables, and circuit boards, along with various accessories.

The Environmental Benefits
Recycling computer parts means that less landfill space will be taken up. Recycling computer parts also decreases the concentration of hazardous materials like mercury, chromium and lead in landfills, reducing the risk of contamination to the surrounding environment. Lead can be recycled and reused as a heat absorber in other PCs.

Recycling computers decreases the energy and damage done to the environment by destroying and manufacturing them. The incineration of computers releases hazardous gas and smoke into the atmosphere, making the surrounding air often unsafe to breath. Biological waste is also created as a bi product of the processing of raw materials in manufacturing computers; recycled materials do not need to be processed as much.

Humane Benefits of Recycling Your Computer
Recycling computers not only decreases damage done to the environment, but it also makes computers more accessible to other people. Recycled materials make the production of computers cheaper, therefor decreasing their overall retail price. Low retail prices make computers affordable to families with low incomes and to public schools with low budgets.

Many computer manufacturers donate their refurbished computers to public schools, state institutions and charity organizations. Recycling computers helps to improve the lives of those who are less fortunate, giving them a better chance to improve the quality of their lives.

About the Author:
Peter Wendt is a writer and researcher working out of Austin, Texas. He recommends that for additional resources about electronics recycling. He recommends to check out Round2.net.



Article Originally Published On: http://www.articlesnatch.com


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