In the United States alone, it has been reported that there are at least 20 million outdated personal computers being discarded on a yearly basis. The figure is quite shockingly huge and if people don’t do something about this particular waste, then the environment that people live in will surely perish to pollution. Because of this growing concern about electronic waste, electronic recycling has been a subject that tech people cannot elude. Electronics recycling Mississauga has been an advocate of people living in the area to recycle different electronic parts from computers and other equipments. Electronics recycling in Mississauga has come a long way and there are different shops in the area solely devoted in recycling people’s electronic rubbishes.
It is gravely important that people become aware of the danger of having these unused electronic gadgets lying around. While these peripherals might seem harmless when viewed, the inside components are often made up of hazardous elements. When thrown in the trash can, this will pose a serious threat. In the United States, there are a lot of states who have laws prohibiting people from throwing their electronic wastes in the trashes because there is a considerably serious health risk involved.
Here are some of the dangers when you throw your electronic wastes in the trash can:
- Electronic devices contain volatile components. Most electronic devices work with the use of battery. While batteries are safe when used in normal conditions, they become highly dangerous when placed inside the trash can. On severely humid and days, the hot temperature inside the trash will cause the batteries in a laptop made up of lithium to undergo a so called thermal runaway. When this occurs, the batteries will now overheat which will result to explosion or to catching of fire. This will cause injuries to those standing near the trash can.
- Gadgets and computer equipment contain toxic elements. Some of the toxic elements traced in computers and other equipments are mercury, cadmium and lead. These hazardous elements have the tendency to leak from the gadgets when they are not properly disposed. This will lead to potential danger to pets and humans when in contact with these substances. These toxic elements can also cause serious problems to the environment when the ground seeps these toxics in.
- Electronic wastes can seriously injure garbage collectors. Several devices such as monitors and television operate at very high voltages. Even if you have unplugged and turned off the device, there still might be some residual charges. This will cause a potential risk to the garbage collectors.