It’s easy to get excited about getting new gadgets, but we rarely give an afterthought to what happens to our old laptops or cell phones after we put them out on the curb. Some of us might be more responsible and bring them to the nearest recycling facility for proper disposal, but the fact of the matter is e-waste – which includes any discarded or end-of-life appliances that used electricity or has electrically-powered parts — contain both valuable and hazardous materials such as lead or mercury. And like other toxin-containing goods, e-waste requires special recycling methods in order to properly dispose of its materials.

Sadly, the nation dumps between 300 and 400 million electronic items per year, yet less than 20% of that e-waste is recycled properly. About 50 million cell phones are replaced worldwide a month, yet only 10% are recycled.

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