What exactly are you supposed to do with the cell phone that you accidentally leave in your pants pocket and run it through the washing machine? Or what about that tablet that your dog used for a chew toy? Those old video game consoles that your children no longer play with might be taking up space in your entertainment room, but how exactly can you dispose of them safely and legally?
All of these items constitute what is known as electronic waste, or e-waste. According to one study,
“E-waste is the most rapidly growing waste problem in the world. We generate about 50 million tons of it every year. This is equivalent to throwing out 1000 laptops every single second.”
Below, we take an in-depth look at the growing problem with e-waste and how Junk King of Alameda can offer a simple and practical way to deal with your e-waste streams in a safe and environmentally friendly manner.
What is E-Waste & Why It Needs to Be Disposed Properly?
According to CalRecycle, “E-waste is a popular, informal name for electronic products nearing the end of their useful life. Computers, televisions, VCRs, stereos, copiers, and fax machines are common electronic products.” Because electronics tend to grow outdated faster than other consumers items, recycling our used electronics is an increasingly important environmental issue.
The best thing about e-waste, as the CalRecycle website notes, is that many of these products can be reused, refurbished, or recycled. In fact, almost all of the e-waste that we tend to think of as just “junk” can often be reused with little or no refurbishing. In many cases, recycling e-waste might be as simple as taking your used phones, TVs, and other electronics to your local thrift store.
Many of these thrift stores can fix up slightly damaged electronic items and sell them at a discounted price to others.
Furthermore, as the problem of e-waste disposal becomes increasingly urgent, some retailers are allowing their customers to take their used electronics items back to the store where they were originally purchased for proper recycling. In some cases, you may even receive store credit for this type of e-waste recycling.
Fortunately, retail stores are not the only ones discovering that e-waste recycling can be an incredibly profitable business.
A recent article in the New York Times states that:
“The precious metals in e-waste, found especially in circuit boards, are more concentrated than in the most productive mines. In 2016, the gold in the world’s e-waste equaled more than a tenth of the gold mined globally that year. And yet much of this treasure is simply reburied in landfills.”
Furthermore, Americans dump phones containing over $60 million in gold/silver every year. As e-waste recycling techniques and technologies become more advanced, there is added economic incentive to stop e-waste from being sent to the dump.
What Happens When You Throw Your E-Waste in Landfills or With Household Trash?
Besides wasting an enormous amount of money by sending precious metals like gold and silver into the dump, improperly disposing of your used electronics, phones, and other e-waste items also comes with an extremely serious environmental cost.
Unfortunately, in 2019, the global share of e-waste documented to be collected and properly recycled was just 17.4 percent.
The millions of e-waste items that do end up in landfills pose a severe danger to both the environment and human health.
That is because the materials that are in e-waste contain dangerous amounts of toxic components, including mercury, lead, cadmium, polybrominated flame retardants, barium, and lithium. When sent to local landfills, these materials leach into the surrounding environment, thus becoming a serious threat to human and environmental health.
According to one recent estimate, around 40 percent of all the heavy metals in US landfills come from discarded electronic devices.
Even back in 2014, Americans were throwing away an average of 416,000 cell phones each day. With limited regulation, electronic waste has quickly become one of the largest sources of environmental contamination around the country.
Fortunately, many local governments, non-profit organizations, and junk removal companies are improving their e-waste disposal methods. In Alameda County, for example, electronic waste requires special handling.
You can properly dispose of a limited amount of e-waste through the Clean Up Program. You may also take e-waste to the County drop-off site.
How Junk King Can Help with Different Types of Items?
Though these electronic waste management processes have certainly helped keep e-waste out of the landfill, not every homeowner, individual, or business owner has the time or means to take their used electronics to a designated drop off services.
Fortunately, Junk King of Alameda can help you safely and legally get rid of all your used electronics and appliances. Junk King fees are among the lowest in the region, and we also offer transparent and upfront pricing.
We believe wholeheartedly in offering “fair and transparent” pricing. To that end, we offer four convenient ways for homeowners and business owners to find out how much their yard waste removal needs will cost.
For on-site pricing estimates, we can offer you an accurate assessment of the price. Unlike other companies, our on-site pricing estimates are completely free, and come with no-obligation on your part. You can also call us toll-free at 1-888-888-JUNK. Our customer service representatives can help you plan the logistics for any large-scale junk removal.
For smaller jobs, you can simply take a photo of your items, text us at 737-888-5865, and we will text you back an estimate. Once you accept the estimate, all you have to do is wait for the Junk King truck to arrive.
Lastly, Junk King of Alameda also offers an easy-to-use online pricing estimator. Simply enter your zip code to ensure that you are in right service area and provide a few more pieces of information regarding the junk you need removed.
Our pricing estimator allows you to receive a transparent cost estimate based on either the actual items you need hauled away, or the anticipated volume in the Junk King truck you plan on taking up.
Junk King Services for E-Wastes and More!
Our team at Junk King of Alameda understands that recycling is an elemental aspect of creating a greener future. For that reason, our mission is to ensure that 60 percent of the junk collected at each job is recycled, reused or repurposed, rather than being dumped into landfills.
In the specific case of e-waste, we make every effort to “e-cycle” the used appliances and technology gadgets that you need to get rid of. Whereas traditional recycling of e-waste products only salvages the steel, copper, and plastic components, we are proud to work with leaders in the e-cycling business to ensure that the more valuable elements such as gold, platinum, and other heavy metals are also recycled.
We also maintain relationships with several donation centers that can refurbish used electronics and sell at a discounted price to local residents. Around 25 percent of the adult U.S. population does not own a laptop computer. By working with Junk King, you might be able to help a local family gain access to affordable, used technology devices.
Our junk removal services are not only the lowest priced in the region, but we also go the extra mile to protect the environment.
Everyone in America needs to get rid of e-waste at some point.
Okay, pretty much everyone. And living in the greater Fremont area makes the task of e-waste disposal a bit challenging.
So, what exactly is ”e-waste” you might ask?
E-waste is short for “electronic waste” and this particular type of junk typically can’t just be tossed into your household trash. Even if it’s all small enough to fit in your recycling bin it’s usually not legal to dispose of it that way.
And the larger e-waste items, or large amounts of e-waste, can be quite problematic. But the big stuff can be even more challenging when trying to figure out the best way to dispose of it. You could do it yourself, but it requires knowing what can be disposed of where and how.
And there are often additional fees with e-waste disposal.
And if you have several large e-waste items, such as printers or copiers, just getting it all out to the sidewalk or driveway so you can load it up can be strenuous and even dangerous. And even if you can get everything outside to load it up for removal, you still need a large enough vehicle to fit it in so you can haul it away to dispose of it.
In other words, e-waste disposal can be a bit tricky and a lot of work.
The good news is that, at Junk King Fremont, we have a great solution for your e-waste disposal needs. We are not only knowledgeable about e-waste and e-waste disposal, but we have the experience and the equipment to make your e-waste disposal project quick and painless for you!
E-Waste Is Junk With “Extras”
Those old cell phones, tablets, PDAs, video game consoles, and more – these are the things that make up what we call “e-waste.”
According to CalRecycle,
“E-waste is a popular, informal name for electronic products nearing the end of their “useful life.” Computers, televisions, VCRs, stereos, copiers, and fax machines are common electronic products.”
The best thing about e-waste, as the CalRecycle website notes, is that many of these products can be reused, refurbished, or recycled. In fact, almost all of the e-waste that we tend to think of as just “junk” can often be reused with little or no refurbishing.
That’s great for both the economy and the environment.
As an article in the New York Times pointed out,
“The precious metals in e-waste, found especially in circuit boards, are more concentrated than in the most productive mines. In 2016, the gold in the world’s e-waste equaled more than a tenth of the gold mined globally that year. And yet much of this treasure is simply reburied in landfills.”
And the e-waste items that do end up in landfills pose a danger to both the environment and humans. That is because the materials that are in e-waste contain dangerous amounts of toxic components, including mercury, lead, cadmium, polybrominated flame retardants, barium, and lithium.
Unfortunately, the reality is that most people just throw away old electronics that they no longer want or need. And, unless these items are somehow recovered, they’ll likely end up in a landfill or get incinerated.
However, part of Junk King’s corporate mission is to keep as much waste of any kind out of landfills as possible. And Junk King Fremont makes every effort to recycle or reuse everything we bring into our doors.
>>>> Related Content: E-Waste Removal Guide <<<<
Junk King Fremont for E-Waste Disposal – The Green Choice
At Junk King Fremont we provide cost-effective e-waste and other junk removal services by using two-person teams. And, because Junk King’s junk removal trucks are 30 percent larger than our competitor’s trucks, we can take more junk in fewer trips.
And this means less driving and less exhaust.
Junk King Fremont will not only remove your old, unwanted e-waste and other junk items quickly and efficiently, but our removal process is designed to keep as many of your items out of landfills as possible. Junk King’s eco-friendly mission has always been to ensure that as much of your junk as possible gets recycled or donated.
And we can accomplish this because of our working relationships with donation shops, various nonprofit organizations, and local recyclers throughout the East Bay area. By working this way, Junk King is able to get as much of your e-waste and other junk items donated or recycled as possible.
In fact, Junk King is the only nationally recognized junk removal company that operates with the stated goal of recycling at least 60 percent of everything we haul away.
In addition to e-waste disposal, Junk King can take care of old appliances including refrigerators and freezers, as well as old office equipment (including the electronics!) In fact, no residential or commercial job too big or too small for Junk King Fremont.
And we not only remove and dispose of your e-waste in a green way, but we are also recognized as the industry’s Number One junk removal service.
Whether you’re in Fremont or anywhere else along the Nimitz Freeway area, we can come to your home or workplace and haul away your e-waste – and whatever other types of unwanted junk you need to get rid of – and do it all in an eco-friendly fashion and with our award-winning service.
We’re Not Only Green and Friendly, We Have Great Pricing, Too!
With just one call to Junk King Fremont, you’ll get the industry’s Number One e-waste disposal service.
We understand that times are tough for many people right now and, as an essential business, we also understand that some services are necessary but should still be affordable.
This is why our pricing is the lowest in our service area, whether that’s in Castro Valley, Fremont, or any point in between. In fact, another one of our company’s hallmarks is our fair and transparent pricing.
And, at Junk King Fremont, we guarantee to beat any written estimate.
In addition, we offer free estimates as a part of our service and provide you with four different ways to get an estimate:
- ON-SITE PRICING: The best and most accurate way for us to assess the job and offer you the lowest price is free, no-obligation on-site estimate.
- CALL US: You can also call or live chat with our customer service representatives.
- TEXT A PHOTO: Or take a photo of your items and text us at 737-888-5865. We’ll text you back with an estimate.
- ONLINE PRICING ESTIMATE: Click “Pricing” in the navigation bar above, scroll down to “Pricing Estimator”, enter your Zip Code, and choose “By List Item” or “By Truckload.”
When our clean, red truck shows up at your location, our e-waste disposal and junk removal team will give you a firm, no-obligation price on-site.
The Professional E-Waste Disposal Team in the Fremont Area
If you live along the Nimitz Freeway in Newark, Hayward, Union City, or Fremont, you can rest assured that we’re here to take care of all your junk removal needs.
There can be a number of good reasons why you may find you need junk removal services.
- Did you and your family just get a boatload of great new gadgets for Christmas and now you’ve got a pile of old junk electronics you need to get rid of?
- Maybe your office has had to close while everyone works remotely, and you have old and unused electronic equipment to dispose of.
- Or perhaps you have a garage, attic, or storage space at home that’s filled with old televisions, video game gear, and cellphones, that all need proper disposal.
Whatever the reason, if you’ve got e-waste or other junk to get rid of, your best option is to call Junk King Fremont.
At Junk King Fremont, we offer efficient, safe, and environmentally-friendly junk removal services that take the work and worry out of the disposal of your junk. And our professional and experienced junk removal team will carefully remove and haul off any types of junk you have.
Junk King Provides a Range of Services to Make Your Life Easy
We are the pioneers of recycling based junk removal right here in Alameda County and can help both individual and businesses deal with their e-waste in a responsible and efficient manner.
When you work with Junk King of Alameda, you can rest assured that your e-waste items won´t end up in the landfill, but will either be recycled, reused, or donated. To Junk King, give us a call at 1-888-888 JUNK, or book online today!
So, ready to get rid of your old junk and electronics? It’s as simple as 1, 2, 3.
Just make an appointment by booking online above, or by calling us at 1.888.888.JUNK (5865).
Our professional and insured junk removal team will show up at your home or office, and we’ll call 15 minutes before we get there. Once we’re on-site, we’ll give you a free estimate based on how much room your junk takes up in our truck.
If you like our estimate, you simply point, and we’ll load those old junk items into our junk removal trucks and haul them away with no hidden fees.
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Most of the professionals who choose to pursue the training necessary to become hoarding specialists are psychologists or clinical mental health therapists. At its core, hoarding is a mental disorder, not a malady created by a physical breakdown of the body. Many hoarders start with small collections before developing mental illness or a significant life event triggers anxiety when the person confronts the concept of throwing something away.
It’s time for a little scrap metal trivia. Did you know that there are two kinds of scrap metal? These two types are ferrous and nonferrous. Ferrous metals are iron and steel. Nonferrous is pretty much everything else. This includes aluminum, tin, lead, pewter, zinc, bronze and brass. When you think of scrap metal what’s the first thing that comes to mind? Is it huge piles of twisted steel lifted by a giant claw machine at a junk yard? That is certainly one way to look at scrap metal. The truth is that a lot of what we throw out could be considered scrap metal starting with all our soda cans or empty canned goods. Those are easy to get rid of because they can be tossed out in the weekly recycling bin. But what about the big items?