E-Waste Know How: The Top Three Things to Consider When Disposing Your Personal Electronics

The holiday season is behind us for another year, which for many of you means your old electronics have been replaced with shiny new ones. It’s our duty to ensure everyone (from consumers to large-scale businesses) knows the top three things to consider and do when disposing of their e-waste.

Here goes!

1. Never throw e-waste in the garbage - recycle

The biggest thing we want all of you to remember this holiday season is that electronics do not belong in landfills. We talked all about e-waste recycling in our last post and why it’s so important, but it really can’t ever be said enough.

Obviously landfills are bad for us and the planet, but beyond that precious metals can be removed and sold, which saves our planet from harmful mining practices. Also, in some cases we’re able to save the product, refurbish it and resell it. There are really no down sides, so we hope you will adopt this practice as a part of your holiday traditions moving forward.

2. Don’t forget your data

Do you know what happens to all of your passwords, photos, messages and other sensitive information when you get rid of your old or inoperable electronics? What if we told you that wiping your machines yourself doesn’t actually destroy the data? Would it scare you to think that your personal information lives on even after your electronics stop working?

If you don’t properly recycle your electronics with a reputable company you are taking a gamble, and if you are a business or institution you may even be breaking the law. Trust us, your security is incredibly important and worth the extra time to find the right solution for you.

3. Location, location, location!

If you are a consumer, large electronics recycling companies (like Greentec) aren’t necessarily able to personally service your home. However, it’s important to us that you have safe, convenient and secure locations to work with. We partner with various generators nationally, like Canadian Tire and Habitat for Humanity, who do the e-waste collecting for us. 

For businesses and institutions connect with us, we guarantee we have a solution that will help keep your e-waste out of landfills, keep you compliant and maybe even make you a little extra money!

There you have it, the three most important things to consider when disposing of your old and unwanted personal electronics. We hope you’ve learned something and will keep this post in mind. If you have any questions or want to learn more get in touch.