Title: Introduction to Electronics (E-waste) Recycling
Headings: Introduction to Electronics (E-Waste) Recycling
Introduction to Electronics (E-Waste) Recycling
Frequently Replaced Electronics
What Happens to Devices at the End of Their Useful Life
Benefits of E-Waste Recycling
The Electronics Recycling Process
Electronics Recycling Associations
Current Challenges for Electronics Recycling Industry
Electronics Recycling Laws
Article Sources

Content: What Happens to Devices at the End of Their Useful Life
Unfortunately, the majority of these electronic products end up in landfills, and just 20% of e-waste is recycled. According to a UN study, about 50 million tons of e-waste was discarded worldwide. 2 Electronics are full of valuable materials, including copper, tin, iron, aluminum, fossil fuels, titanium, gold, and silver. Many of the materials used in making these electronic devices can be recovered, reused, and recycled—including plastics, metals, and glass. In a report, Apple revealed that it recovered 2,204 pounds of gold —worth $40 million—from recycled iPhones, Macs, and iPads in 2015. 3
Benefits of E-Waste Recycling
Recycling e-waste enables us to recover various valuable metals and other materials from electronics, saving natural resources (energy), reducing pollution, conserving landfill space, and creating jobs. According to the EPA, recycling one million cell phones can also recover 75 pounds of gold, 772 pounds of silver, 35,000 pounds of copper, and 33 pounds of palladium. 4
On the other end, e-waste recycling helps cut down on production waste. According to the Electronics TakeBack Coalition, it takes 1.5 tons of water, 530 pounds of fossil fuel, and 40 pounds of chemicals to manufacture a single computer and monitor. Eighty one percent of the energy associated with a computer is used during production and not during operation.