Hard drive destruction is our business (well, part of it anyway). It’s important for many reasons, not the least of which is avoiding legal problems if sensitive electronic data gets in the wrong hands. With that in mind, we’re happy to hear a new study has found public awareness of the importance of recycling electronics is high. Unfortunately, that is in stark contrast to the hardware recycling practices of many businesses, as we mentioned in our last blog.
Called the “CE Recycling and Reuse 2012 Edition,” the study released by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) finds that nine out of 10 consumers say it’s important to recycle consumer electronics. Furthermore, 63 percent of consumers know where to bring obsolete electronics for recycling.
Here are a few more findings from the study:
- Six in 10 removed at least one electronic device from their homes in the last 12 months, with 48 percent of those people donating the device and 26 percent recycling it.
- 63 percent of people who donated an electronic device gave it to friends or family members.
- Of the 12 percent who said they put a used electronic device in the trash during the last 12 months, most cited convenience as the main reason for their choice.
The CEA has undertaken a massive recycling campaign called the “eCycling Leadership Initiative.” The goal is to recycle a billion pounds of electronics annually by 2016. They got nearly halfway to their goal in the just-completed first year, claiming to have had 460 million pounds of consumer electronics recycled.
The CEA is partnering with the government on local, state and federal levels, and advocates in the private sector, to build public awareness on the availability of electronics recycling locations.
Are you one of the 12 percent who site inconvenience as the reason for trashing your electronics? Well, there is an easy-to-use eCycling zip code locator on GreenerGadgets.org where you can locate the closest electronic recycling spot (our sister company Gresham Sanitary is on the list if you live nearby!).
Portland Document Shredding, Destruction, Sharing, Storage, Archive and Scanning
