When we get rid of our electronic waste, we often don’t think about where it will end up. I’m sure we’ve all been guilty of keeping our old cameras, laptops and televisions hoping to do some good with them, but eventually we just get fed up and end up just taking them to the dump. However, when you actually consider the damage that just one CRT television or monitor can do to our environment, wildlife and health, we might think again before sending our ewaste to landfill.
How toxic is my electronic waste?
LEAD – About 20% of a CRT television is made up of lead, so that’s about 2.5k of each one. Lead is a highly toxic substance that, when high volumes are found in blood, can be the cause of cancers, learning difficulties, behaviour problems and even death.
CRT Televisions - Toxic
MERCURY – Mercury is found in most electronic items, the most prominent being in the new energy efficient CFL bulbs. Not only can mercury harm our health when leaked into the atmosphere but it only takes 1/70th of a teaspoon to contaminate a 25-acre lake to the point where fish are unsafe to eat.
CADMIUM & ARSENIC – Are both carcinogenic and are released into the atmosphere when ewaste is burnt, affecting both the soil and the air around in.
BERYLLIUM – Inhalation of beryllium or beryllium-containing dust, mist or fume, may cause a chronic lung disorder called beryllicosis in susceptible persons, and beryllium is a probable human carcinogen.
POLYVINYL CHLORIDE (PVC) – Hazardous chemical additives (like phthalates) can leach when PVC components of electronic products are sent to landfill.
Electronic Waste – It CAN be recycled
Think carefully next time you throw your ewaste out with the trash; CRT televisions are 98% recyclable so sending your TV, and all it’s toxins, to landfill is a complete waste of perfectly good resources and puts our health at risk for no good reason.
At 1800Ewaste we are dedicated to diverting as much of this hazardous waste from landfill as possible and we are currently doing this by recycling 95-98%, by weight of all ewaste that we collect. The materials found in electrical items are renewable and valuable to future generations, so call 1800 392 783 today and have your old ewaste collected and recycled.