What do you do with your old computer equipment? Please don’t throw it in the trash! Electronics waste is growing exponentially. Computers and other peripherals are used on average for less than three years. Recycling, or “E-cycling,” these and other electronic items is critical for preserving landfill space and for ensuring that hazardous materials used to make electronics are properly disposed.
Pixelgate is now partnering with PC Recycle to properly dispose of your e-waste! Just drop off your e-cyclables at Pixelgate now, or call PC Recycle direct at (805) 499-0050.
The Importance of Responsible Recycling for Used Electronics
Economic Value
While advances in technology give consumers the availability to upgrade to newer, sleeker and more energy-efficient electronics products, it is important to remember that older electronics units and devices may not have reached the end of their useful life.
On average, the original owner keeps a laptop computer for only three years and will discard their cell phone after only 24 months. However, many televisions, computers, computer monitors, mobile phones and other electronics are still in good working condition and can be recycled, refurbished or donated to schools and charities. There is a vibrant, for-profit secondary market for recent models of laptop computers, desktop computers and cell phones because these products retain significant value. Properly managing your used electronics includes responsible recycling for protection of the environment and your personal privacy.
Resource Conservation
We support electronics recycling as a way to conserve valuable resources. We believe it is far more preferable to refurbish and recycle used electronics than to dispose of them in landfills.
Some electronics products contain materials such as lead and mercury, which provide critical and unique safety, performance, reliability and energy efficiency benefits. While the industry proactively develops viable substitutes and manufacturers successfully incorporate these into their products, these materials cannot yet be replaced in all applications. We encourage consumers to participate in electronics recycling so that we can help eliminate the amount of these materials in our landfills and help keep our environment clean. With your help, we can continue to be good stewards of the environment.
Security
To protect your privacy, we recommend that you remove all data from a computer hard drive before donating, selling or recycling a computer or other information storing device. Your computer is filled with personal and financial information and this data should be properly removed in order to protect you from identity theft. Identity theft is one of the fastest growing forms of crime in the country and consumers must take extra steps to prevent this crime. For more information about identity theft go to: www.consumer.gov/idtheft