"Green Robots" is a voluntary service to properly dispose and recycle old or unused electronics.
(Little girl at a landfill that discovers an apple key board)
Electronics, such as computers, televisions and cell phones contain chemicals such as lead and mercury. The toxic substances are used in the switches, circuits and batteries in our households. Other examples would also be the lead in cell phones. Disposing of small amounts of household hazardous waste in landfills is legal, but definitely not recommended. The best way to dispose these products is to bring it to a qualified recycler, but that is not the case.
“In 2005, studies showed that used or unwanted electronics added up to about 1.9 to 2.2 million tons. Of that, about 1.5 to 1.8 million tons were primarily disposed in landfills, and only 345,000 to 379,000 tons were recycled.”
-Management of Electronic Waste, 2009
These toxins enter the environment when discarded cell phones are incinerated or when rainwater leaches the materials out of the landfilled electronics. Electronics like mobile phones contain hazardous levels of lead, nickel-cadmium, and other toxic materials. Over 80% of reusable batteries are composed of the hazardous heavy metals nickel and cadmium.
Out of 175 million computers comes a laundry list of toxins including 650 million pounds of lead, 987,000 pounds of cadmium and 231,000 pounds of mercury. (Florida Environmental Report, 2001)
Each CRT (Cathode-Ray Tube) contains four to six pounds of lead. (New York Times, November 23, 2000)
500 million personal computers will become obsolete. In 1998 alone, 20 million computers were taken out of service, only 2.3 million were recycled." (New York Times, November 23, 2000)
We would ask communities to donate all unused electronics, including:
The goal of the service is to promote an awareness of proper disposal of electronics and give back to poverty stricken families through a healthy practice of donation and recycling used electronics. For some, this may also create free space and unclog clutter. For others, this donation may be an incentive for individuals to use as a tax write up.
Whatever the case, there are too many reasons to participate rather than not. Many people take things for granted, and don’t understand that it can affect the future. Although this may be a small step, nonetheless, it will create a ripple effect towards creating a better life for everyone and reducing the hazards of the environment.
Interested in donating?
Contact us at: kgillmor@gmail.com
*Request information and learn more about how you can participate in local pick up donation drives in your neighborhood.
