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Tag Archives: ewaste disposal

The Correct Approach to Computer Disposal With Junk King Sonoma

Computers have become an integral part of our daily routine, from our businesses to travel, education, and perhaps any aspect of life that involves technology. For this reason, any quantum leap in computer technology can result in the disposal of these electronics. Junk King Sonoma believes in the proper disposal of computers for multiple purposes.

Computers are good sources of raw materials that can undergo recycling and reuse, extending their life. Our team also believes in proper e-waste management. Thanks to our services, computer parts don’t need to end up in landfills, emitting carbon and polluting our environment. Why is this important to us? The 2006 US Geological Survey (USGS) found that “recycling one million PCs saves energy equal to the electricity utilized by no less than 3,500 US homes annually”. Junk King Sonoma sees the potential in proper computer disposal, that’s why we encourage homes and businesses to seek suitable means to dispose of outdated computers.

Junk King Sonoma sees the potential in proper computer disposal, that’s why we encourage homes and businesses to seek suitable means to dispose of outdated computers.

pile of old computer keyboards and monitors

How Junk King Facilitates Proper Computer Disposal

How does Junk King work? Once you reach out to us, we schedule an appointment for our team of professionals to visit your home or business with our junk removal trucks. The disposal process doesn’t end when we haul off your computers. We take these items to certified recycling facilities whose priority is safe disposal, which involves the following steps.

1. Proper storage

Monitors contain a high amount of lead. And since very few monitors undergo recycling, our process ensures these parts are properly stored.

2. Sorting, shredding, and dismantling

This stage involves sorting computer components to determine the reusable ones which can serve as raw materials. It’s an intricate process involving data destruction to ensure personal and company information doesn’t end up in the wrong hands. Shredding the inoperable computer parts into smaller pieces allows for the next step, mechanical separation.

3. Mechanical separation

Thanks to a thorough process, all unusable computers undergo water and magnetic separation. The latter involves passing the computer parts through a magnet that pulls iron materials. Magnetic separation also facilitates the smelting of recyclable materials, plus the separation of metal-embedded items. Water separation is useful in sorting glass and plastic components and separating contaminants.

4. Recovery

The last step of computer disposal is recovery. Parts such as metal and plastic enter the recycling stream, which is processed for reuse and reselling.

Preparation Steps for Correct Computer Disposal

Here’s how you prepare for desktop and laptop removal.

  • Perform backups of all the system data. Consider cloning the hard drive onto an external one and be sure to check that none is corrupted before doing so. The team should also undertake cloud backup to make manual migration straightforward.
  • The IT department can oversee the removal of authorization of cloud accounts such as Outlook and Office.
  • Work with software vendors to transfer software licenses to a different laptop.
  • Determine whether to destroy/clear information on the hard drive. Businesses recommend destroying the hard drives if the computers are to undergo recycling and a secure wipe for reuse and donation. Remember to utilize wiping software to guarantee the complete erasure of information. While you can destroy the hard drives by manually smashing them, doing so would not comply with HIPAA. We, therefore, recommend leaving this step to Junk King Sonoma to ensure shredding by a licensed recycler.
  • Schedule a  removal appointment with Junk King Sonoma

Junk King Sonoma Meets Computer Disposal and General E-Waste Disposal Requirements

Our junk removal services are available in multiple locations in the US. We have the ideal equipment and know-how to meet the e-waste compliance requirement of any particular state. For example, our California office’s collectors comply with sections 66273.9 and 66273.71 of the California Code of Regulations. We also meet the e-waste requirements listed below:

  • Submitting the Notification of Intent to Handle form – every e-waste generator, handler, or recycler must submit a one-time Notice of Intent (NOI) to the Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC). We ensure this documentation goes to this office before undertaking any computer disposal or e-waste removal services. Additionally, our clients have proof of their transactions with us, specifically knowledge of the removal services.
  • Waste Management. Junk King Sonoma manages the waste in compliance with universal e-waste regulations. Some of the requirements include training of staff, e-waste accumulation and management, recordkeeping, and labeling.
  • Annual reports. Junk King Sonoma fills the applicable yearly reports on the Universal Waste Electronic Devices (UWED) Online System.

Benefits of Computer Disposal Services

Enjoy the following benefits by hiring Junk King for computer disposal services:

  • Better Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Consumer surveys show that customers consider CSR essential and are happy to work with companies that demonstrate their commitment to safeguarding the environment and human health.
  • Data protection. Our removal services ensure the complete erasure of sensitive information by the recycling facilities before the distribution of computer components. Your business, therefore, doesn’t need to worry about confidential information getting to the public.
  • By recycling, you help reduce production costs and the pressure on raw materials needed to manufacture electronics.
  • Fines are bad for business. And if you live in one of the 17 states that mandate recycling, working with Junk King ensures you don’t risk any fines since we help you meet the e-waste disposal stipulations.
  • Gain a competitive edge. Practicing proper e-waste disposal helps boost your company’s reputation. A positive brand also improves sales increasing the bottom line.

What Junk King Can Do for Your Business

Correct computer disposal is essential for the environment, human health, and business. That’s why you should hire removal services from a reputable company with years of experience. Many factors are at play, including the number of computers and servers, the disposal methods required, and the end goal. Junk King will meet all your disposal needs while complying with state regulations. The process is straightforward and includes free onsite estimates.

Do you need computer disposal services? Call us today to schedule an appointment.

All You Should Know About Recycling After Computer Disposal

Most business processes have now moved online as more people aim for convenience and companies seek to minimize the number of workers in their physical locations. This means that almost everyone nowadays owns a computer. Though smartphones and other gadgets can handle most of the activities undertaken on a computer, the latter is easier to use and cheaper than the former.

Like almost all appliances, even the best manufactured and cared for computers often break down beyond repair or no longer suit users’ needs. Most people choose to leave the computers rotting away on their premises or simply throw them in the trash rather than follow the proper computer disposal protocol to recycle the gadgets. A 2020 study estimated that recycling a million computers can save enough energy to power 3500 homes in the U.S for up to a year.

With such promising statistics, it is prudent to play a role in computer recycling by getting the right waste removal company to take your computer. Below are a few guidelines on the computer recycling process to give you an insight into the critical role you will play.

ewaste in a pile

What Is E-Waste Recycling?

When looking for information on computer recycling, you will often come across e-waste recycling. E-waste (electronic waste/scrap) encompasses all trash generated from surplus, obsolete, and broken-down electronic devices. This includes home appliances like cookers, televisions, air conditioners, as well as information tech equipment like laptops, computers, monitors, mobile phones, batteries, and hard disks.

Issues Associated With Indiscriminate Disposal of E-Waste

When you throw away broken-down electronics in the trash, it often ends up in landfills where it releases toxic and hazardous substances. These usually contaminate groundwater and soil. They eventually end up in the water humans drink and the foods they eat. Some of the adverse effects of exposure to the harmful materials in e-waste for kids include stillbirths, poor birth outcomes, premature births, impaired thyroid function, and increased risk of chronic diseases.

Producing one computer takes not less than 1.5 tons of water, 530 pounds of fossil fuels, and 48 pounds of chemicals. When a computer is recycled, these precious materials are not entirely lost but reused in manufacturing new gadgets, thus minimizing the impact of manufacturing electronics on the earth.

e-waste recycling

Steps of Recycling Computers

Below are the usual steps involved in the computer recycling process:

  1. Collection

When you have an outdated or broken-down computer, the first step in recycling it is calling a junk removal company that handles e-waste to pick it and drop it at the nearest computer disposal plant. Some centers will pay computer owners a small fee as an incentive for increasing recycling and the sale of new computers. Nonetheless, most will charge computer owners for the disposal of their gadgets.

  1. Sorting

The recycling center will manually sort the computers by type before they move them into reuse or processing. After sorting, the computers will be tested for the possibility of reuse. The ones in reasonably good condition can be repaired or refurbished then sold or donated.

  1. Manual disassembly

The computers that cannot be reused or repaired are manually disassembled into sound cards, circuit boards, DVD drives, keyboards, hard drives, and speakers. CRTs (cathode ray tubes) are carefully handled to prevent exposure or spilling of dangerous materials like cadmium, barium, phosphorus, lead, and barium. Dangerous parts like rechargeable batteries are often sent to secondary recyclers with suitable machines for battery production and recycling. Highly skilled workers to maintain the integrity of parts handle the manual disassembly. Some parts are re-sold, while others move to the next step of recycling.

  1. Data destruction

The hard drives and processors from recycled computers will be crashed and shredded into a million pieces. This ensures that all the data stored in them is fully destroyed. The processor and hard drives are made into aluminum ingots used in the automotive sector.

  1. Separation into material composition

After harvesting a computer’s valuable components, the other pieces are shredded by material composition. This means separating them into plastics, metals, wires, and other components. The resulting debris will be passed through different screening techniques that remove all valuable parts. Smelting recovers metals like silver, copper, iron, and gold from the debris.

  1. Reuse

The different recovered materials are ferried to their respective material recyclers for further processing. For instance, metals can be sent to metal recyclers to manufacture new steel and metallic materials. However, CRT glass undergoes further recycling to remove lead and harmful materials from it before selling it to CRT recyclers.

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Parts of E-Waste That Can Be Recycled

Not all parts of your computers and other electronic waste are recyclable. Here is a guide on the parts that are recycled and what they are made into:

  • Plastic that is used to make vineyard stakes, fencing posts, trays, equipment holders, insulators, and sleepers, among other items.
  • Metal used to manufacture new metallic products.
  • CRT glass is used to make new screens for computers, tablets, phones, TVs, and other gadgets.
  • Mercury is used in dental amalgams, fluorescent lights, and metric instruments after undergoing specialized techniques to make it safe.
  • Cadmium, nickel, steel, and cobalt from scrap batteries are used to manufacture new batteries or fabricate steel.

With most of your questions on recycling computers answered, you need a company that believes in recycling as much as you do to pick your computer for its recycling. Your answer is Junk King Sonoma that serves Sonoma and the surrounding areas in California. The company recycles about 60% of the waste it receives; statistics that place it among the most eco-conscious waste removal companies worldwide.

It might seem like having a waste removal company pick your computer and other e-waste to take to a recycling center is overkill because most of these devices are portable. Nonetheless, the waste needs to be carefully handled to avoid exposure to hazardous materials and salvage any components that can be reused. Get in touch with Junk King Sonoma today to start the recycling of your e-waste.

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E-Waste Recycling with Junk King Sonoma

Electronic waste or e-waste refers to any old or discarded appliance or equipment that’s no longer useful. The biggest culprits include heating and cooling systems, TVs, radios, computers, monitors, printers, microwaves, and cellphones.

The amount of e-waste is growing significantly, representing over 2% of the trash in our landfills. While this must seem like a small percentage, e-waste accounts for over 70% of toxic waste worldwide.

Electronics and electric devices contain potentially dangerous materials and heavy metals such as lead, cadmium, and chromium.

Without proper e-waste disposal, these toxic materials pose severe risks to the environment and human health.

This is where the significance of e-waste recycling comes into play.

e-waste recycling pile

What is E-Waste Recycling?

E-waste recycling refers to the reprocessing, recovering, and reusing of valuable materials obtained from discarded electronics and electrical equipment and appliances.

Electronics and electrical appliances contain valuable materials such as plastic, glass, mercury, metals, and circuit boards that are potentially harmful to the environment but can be reused to produce other equipment.

The primary objective of recycling is to collect and process waste into reusable materials, consequently protecting the environment from harm and conserving natural resources.

Regrettably, only a small percentage of electronic waste gets recycled, with very few states having legislation on the same, meaning a significant amount ends up in landfills.

In addition, only a few junk removal companies offer e-waste recycling services.

A Breakdown of the E-Waste Recycling Process

E-waste recycling is an intricate process made up of about seven steps:

Step 1 – Collection

The first step entails collecting discarded electronic products from recycling bins placed at designated locations across your neighborhood. The containers are usually blue with a recycling symbol to avoid mixing the e-waste with other trash. Some collection sites have different boxes for different electronic waste.

Step 2 – Transportation

Once the recycler collects the e-waste from the designated collection sites, they have to transport it to the recycling plant for processing and storage. Some electrical items require immediate processing and storage to contain hazardous materials and save valuable resources. For instance, the glass on older TV models with CRTs has lead that is potentially harmful to the environment.

Step 3 – Sorting, Dismantling, and Shredding

Various e-waste products undergo different processing, so the recycler has to sort them manually before the next stage. Electrical items such as batteries, cellphones, toner cartridges, and fluorescent bulbs have their own processing. For this reason, the recycler has to sort them separately before dismantling or shredding them.

Dismantling and shredding e-waste items entail breaking them into small pieces for easy sorting and processing.

Step 4 – Dust Extraction

Dust might have accumulated over the period the discarded items were in the collection bin. If this is the case, the recycler has to extract it using eco-friendly methods. Dust extraction involves shaking the waste items on a conveyor belt to prepare the e-waste for processing.

Step 5 – Magnetic and Water Separation

The mechanical separation stage involves two critical steps: magnetic and water separation.

Magnetic separation entails passing a giant magnet over ferrous metals to pull and separate steel and iron from other electronic waste to prepare them for smelting. Water separation uses water to separate and purify plastic and glass from other e-waste items.

Step 6 – Purification

Separating the different electronic waste is not sufficient to recover valuable materials. The recycler has to purify salvaged items. The purification stage locates and extracts leftover metals from plastics to prepare them for the last step – the recycling process.

Step 7 – Recovery & Recycling

The final stage is recovering, recycling, and preparing the materials for reuse. Some recyclers sell the recovered items and components to manufacturers as raw materials.

The Top Benefits of E-Waste Recycling

  1. Recovery of Valuable Materials

Electronics and electrical devices consist of valuable materials such as gold, steel, and copper. However, only a tiny percentage, less than 20%, of these materials get recovered through recycling. Most of it gets lost in the landfills as part of other trash. Enforcing several recycling programs can help salvage these valuable materials.

  1. Environmental Protection

The primary reason for e-waste recycling is to collect and process electronic waste into reusable materials, consequently protecting the environment from harm. Electrical devices and products consist of potentially hazardous materials that can contaminate our water sources and destroy our ecological systems.

  1. Preservation of Natural Resources

The priority of e-waste recycling is environmental protection and preservation of natural resources. By recycling and reusing waste materials, manufacturers no longer have to source fresh raw materials such as metal, steel, and copper. They can acquire these items from recyclers, helping conserve natural resources.

  1. Saves Landfills

According to the World Health Organization, the amount of electronic waste is growing at an alarming rate. With very few countries and states embracing e-waste recycling, it is just a matter of time before our landfills become overwhelmed. E-waste recycling can help reduce the burden on our dumping sites.

  1. Reduces Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Another benefit of recycling is the decreased greenhouse gas emissions. E-waste recycling can help lower carbon emissions and reduce the impact of pollution on climate change.

  1. Saves Money

According to various stats, electronic waste that finds its way to landfills and dumping sites amounts to $55 billion annually. E-waste recycling can help recover some of the money lost by reusing salvaged materials to produce other items.

  1. Health benefits

You might not know this, but e-waste recycling has several health benefits. The process prevents hazardous materials from polluting the air and contaminating water sources, going a long way to averting chronic respiratory conditions and ailments.

Contact Junk King Sonoma for Professional E-Waste Recycling

E-waste is not biodegradable, meaning it does not disappear on its own. The waste finds its way to our dumping grounds, leading to pollution and environmental degradation. The danger produced from e-waste comes from the toxic materials used to make electronics and electrical devices.

E-waste recycling is a viable solution to dealing with electronic waste, and this is where the services of Junk King come to play.

We are an experienced Junk Removal service providing e-waste recycling in Sonoma and surrounding regions. Contact us today to learn more about our green e-waste recycling services.

Eco-Friendly Computer Disposal with Junk King Sonoma

Do you know that over 6 million pounds of electronic waste gets recycled every month? Despite these staggering figures, this stat translates to only 17% of the electronic waste that finds its way to recycling plants.

Old, damaged, or irreparable computers and related components are all electronic waste. They are generally not designed to be recycled, posing risks to the environment since they contain potentially toxic materials.

However, this does not mean there are no eco-friendly ways to dispose of your old or unused computer.

Hiring a professional to handle your computer disposal needs can save you lots of money and help conserve the environment from the hazardous nature of electronic waste.

computer disposal

What is Computer Disposal?

Computer disposal is the safe removal, disassembling, and recycling of old, outdated, or unused computers and related components to help sustain natural resources, protect the environment from toxic materials and save landfill space.

If you didn’t know, computers consist of several potentially hazardous materials such as lead, cadmium, mercury, chromium, dioxins, and poly chlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). These toxic materials can cause significant harm to the environment and pose health risks when disposed of inappropriately.

With rapid changes in technology, the useful lifespan of a computer is very short. New technology means your current computer can become obsolete at any time, leaving you overwhelmed on what to do with your old or outdated machine.

Proper computer disposal can help conserve the environment, protect and improve health, reduce manufacturing costs, and save resources.

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Eco-Friendly Ways to Dispose of Your Computer

Computer disposal is not a walk in the park. Many people assume the quickest and safest way to dispose of a computer is by dumping it in the dumpster. However, doing so causes more harm than good. Inappropriate computer disposal poses health and environmental risks.

Learning eco-friendly ways to dispose of your outdated or unused computer can go a long way to save costs and conserve the environment. Here are a few tips on how to go about it:

  1. Consider Recycling Programs

Instead of dumping your old computer in the dumpster, consider recycling it. Many civic institutions and conservation groups run recycling programs for computers, electronics, and related components.

Most electrical retailers, by law, accept computers and other electrical goods for recycling. They have several drop-off points where you can take your old PC for recycling.

  1. Donate to Non-profit Organization

If you do not want your PC for whatever reason, someone else might need it. Many students, public institutions, charity groups, and needy families badly want a computer but currently can’t afford one.

To save you from the trouble of searching for needy individuals or groups, consider donating your old computer to charity and non-profit organizations. These entities already have a list of entities that require a PC.

  1. Give Back to Computer Companies

Another eco-friendly way to dispose of your computer is to send it back to the manufacturer. Many computer companies have drop-off points where you can take your PC.

Some companies have exchange policies that allow you to take your old PC in exchange for a newer and better version at discounted rates.

  1. Give it Away to Family or Friends

You do not have to dump your computer because you got a replacement or don’t need it. You can give it to family or friends for reuse as long as it is in good working condition. Find out from your loved ones if anyone needs a computer.

You can also hand it over to kids to help them learn how a PC works but ensure all parental controls are in place to protect them from potentially harmful content.

  1. Hire a Certified E-Waste Recycler

The quickest, safest, and surest way to dispose of your computer is to hire a certified e-waste recycler and disposal company. A professional has the necessary knowledge, expertise, experience, tools, and equipment to manage and handle your computer disposal needs.

e-waste recycling

Benefits of Eco-Friendly Computer Disposal

Computers consist of several potentially hazardous materials such as lead, mercury, and cadmium. These toxic substances can cause significant harm if they get to our groundwater and waterways. For this reason, proper, eco-friendly computer disposal is imperative.

Here are the top benefits of eco-friendly computer disposal:

  1. Sustains Natural Resources

Computer disposal entails disassembling the machine and reusing existing parts as raw materials. Proper computer disposal and recycling go a long way to help sustain natural resources since manufacturers no longer have to develop new components but rather reuse what is already available from the old PCs.

  1. Protects the Environment

Computers consist of severally potentially hazardous materials such as lead, mercury, and cadmium. These toxic materials can cause significant harm to the environment and pose health risks when disposed of inappropriately. Proper computer disposal helps protect the environment from these hazards.

  1. Saves Landfill Space

By hiring a professional to dispose of your computer, you can be sure that your old electronics won’t make it to the landfill. Proper computer disposal goes a long way to save landfill space and eventually prevent pollution and environmental degradation.

  1. Reduces Manufacturing Costs

Proper computer disposal is all about disassembling, recycling, and reusing computer components that are in good working condition. Since manufacturers no longer have to develop new materials, the production costs of new computers go down significantly. This goes a long way to reduce overall manufacturing costs.

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Hire Junk King Sonoma for your Computer Disposal Needs

Whether you bought a new computer or your current one is old and problematic, you may not know what to do with it when you get a replacement. Do you throw it in the dumpster, give it away to a friend, sell it, or donate it to charity?

Worry not! Junk King is here to help. We are undoubtedly the greenest computer disposal company in Sonoma and countrywide. Our competent team will safely remove, disassemble, and recycle or dispose of your old PC appropriately, saving you lots of time and money. Give us a call on 1-888-888-JUNK to learn more about our computer disposal process. We are eagerly waiting for that call!

 

Risks of Broken-Down Appliances Necessitate Professional Appliance Disposal

By November 2020, wildfires had burned about 8.8 million acres of land in the U.S. Though dismal, these are not the only statistics that should worry you about fires. Some fires can happen in what people consider their safest spaces; the home. Other than fires, your home carries a risk of accidents. The U.K. reports about 6000 deaths annually from home accidents.

Appliance disposal by a well-equipped junk removal company might not be the first thing you will think of when you want to boost the safety of your home. However, appliances are not simple implements for easing your household chores and ensuring your indoor comfort in Sonoma or its surroundings in California. They can also be significant safety hazards when not correctly installed, misused, or left unrepaired after breaking down.

Below are the common risks you will expose yourself to when you leave appliances you no longer need or irreparable appliances in your home.

woman holding a screwdriver standing in front an old and broken washing machine

Fire

Electrical fires are the most common issues associated with malfunctioning appliances because most run on electricity. When not caught in time, a fire will destroy almost everything in its path and leave you with considerable losses. Though improper wiring is the common cause of electrical fires by appliances, a fire can also follow a malfunctioning device connected to electricity.

Some homeowners store their broken-down appliances in garages and other rooms out of their way in combination with their other unusable or occasionally used items. Even a small electric malfunction in these stored appliances can spark a huge fire when it ignites other items like sofas and beds in storage. Keeping appliances you no longer use, believing they pose no risk of fire, is a mistake that might lead to thousands of dollars lost in property damage, extensive burns, and even death.

Carbon monoxide poisoning

Venting your unused appliances might seem unnecessary, and it often is. Nonetheless, in some instances, clothes dryers, generators, gas fireplaces, furnaces, and gas space heaters might continue emitting carbon monoxide for a few days when not in use. Moreover, malfunctioning devices might also leak carbon monoxide into your home.

Without proper ventilation, more so in cold months when people close their windows and most places through which fresh air enters a home, carbon monoxide builds up in your interiors. Carbon monoxide poisoning leads to dizziness, weakness, chest pain, confusion, and headaches as the body’s oxygen concentration drops. It also places babies at high risk of developmental effects when exposed to high levels of carbon monoxide in the womb.

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Crushing injuries

Most home appliances nowadays are bulky. With dwindling floor spaces, most homeowners will store the appliances they no longer use on top of each other to save on space. Though sometimes commendable, this places the pets and people in your house at risk of crushing injuries when the appliances move even slightly out of place.

Even something as seemingly small as a stored instant pot can cause significant crush injuries depending on the height of its fall. A report by CPSC (U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission) attributed 459 deaths in kids aged a maximum of seventeen years to tip over of appliances from 2000-2018. Your desire to protect your kids at home is enough to call a company offering appliance removal services to prevent them from being a part of these gloomy statistics.

Electrocution

Any appliance powered by electricity carries the risk of delivering a fatal electric shock to members of your household. The highest risk lies in appliances with exposed cords like toasters and space heaters or the malfunctioning ones with broken or worn-out cables. In a home with kids and pets that can chew on exposed or damaged cords, appliance disposal is crucial to keep the wires out of the way of these curious creatures.

Chewing on the cords means exposing an electric current to fluid, something that leads to electrocution. The damaged cords can also be left lying around in water puddles and electrocute people or pets that step on them. Some of the long-term effects of electrocution include poor memory, headaches, limited range of motion, insomnia, depression, loss of balance, and uncoordinated movements. It is thus crucial to protect your loved ones from electrocution.

Foodborne illnesses

Even when a refrigerator malfunctions, some homeowners do not throw it out. They assume the refrigerator can still be helpful for the storage of food for short periods. Food stored in a malfunctioning fridge puts your household in danger of foodborne illnesses. This is because the closed environment of the malfunctioning refrigerator forms the perfect place for the proliferation of microorganisms that cause grave conditions like salmonellosis.

Tripping

When storing your broken-down appliances, putting the cords safely away might not be among the things you consider. Cords left in the way of people and pets become tripping hazards as they can snag their feet in them. Other than the risk of broken bones when people trip over cords, the cords might pull down an appliance and lead to a crushing injury. If you do not want to deal with constant fractures, appliances that you do not need should not be in your home.

Choosing to repair or replace a home appliance is often challenging. While you might want to save cash in repairing rather than replacing a device, this is not always the best choice. To protect your home’s occupants from the above risks, your first call should be to an appliance disposal company when repairing a device no longer makes economic sense.

The best appliance removal company for Sonoma residents and those around them is Junk King. The company has the best equipment and trained employees to remove heavy appliances from your home without damaging floors or walls. Furthermore, it has some of the most competitive prices and recycles about 60% of the appliances it takes, making it the ideal choice for eco-conscious homeowners. Contact Junk King Sonoma to remove the appliances you no longer need from your premises for the safest home.

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Effects of E-Waste That Is Not Handled By a Full Service Junk Removal on Different Elements

The world produces over 50 million tons of electronic waste {e-waste} annually. These numbers are not surprising, with most tasks now being handled by gadgets and more advanced gadgets being produced almost daily. E-waste encompasses all the scrap produced by discarded electronic devices that are no longer useful. These include consumer electronics like cellphones, office electronics like printers, lighting devices, power tools, home appliances, and sports equipment like gaming consoles.

Like the rest of the world, residents of Sonoma, California, are, of course, buying new gadgets almost daily and replacing their outdated or damaged appliances. Though there is nothing wrong with this, most see no need to properly dispose of the electronic appliances they no longer use through a full service junk removal company. People assume that you can simply get rid of a damaged electronic appliance by throwing it away in the trash.

Unlike the other forms of waste that end up in landfills around Sonoma, e-waste contains hazardous elements like zinc, lead, chromium, barium, and flame retardants, among others. These have significant detrimental effects on different aspects. Here is a look at the impact of e-waste on a few things.

Pile of Ewaste

Air

Air pollution occurs when you dismantle, shred or melt the materials used for electronics. This releases toxins like dioxins and dust particles into the air. Air pollution from the byproducts of e-waste has been linked to cancers and chronic respiratory diseases. Unfortunately, these byproducts can travel for miles because they are fine particles and will thus have detrimental effects on large geographical locations. They have also been linked to hydrocarbons that add to the greenhouse effect, which worsens global warming.

The effects of air pollution attributed to e-waste are worse in some animal species than in others because of specific mutations. Over time, continued air pollution changes the biodiversity of different regions while causing irreversible negative changes to water bodies, plants, and soil. In some places with high air levels of lead, large sea animals, humans, and wildlife have suffered extensive neurological damage.

Soil

As e-waste breaks down, its components seep into the soil from whence they contaminate groundwater and crops. When crops absorb the toxins produced by e-waste, these often end up in the digestive systems of the wildlife and humans that feed on them. Other than the diseases caused in wildlife and humans, the toxins also reduce the productivity of farmland.

The extent of soil contamination by e-waste depends on the weight and size of the particles released by its dismantling, shredding, or burning. It also depends on the soil type, soil composition, PH levels, and environmental temperatures. Unfortunately, the pollutants from e-waste remain in the soil for a long time.

e-waste recycling

Water

Though water is often contaminated from the contaminants that leak to groundwater through the soil, there are times when people directly dispose of their waste into water bodies. Though this seems like an inexpensive alternative to full service junk removal for your home or business, the appliances slowly disintegrate with their chemicals dissolving in the water. The water, in turn, flows into lakes, rivers, streams, and ponds.

The toxification and acidification created in water bodies by disintegrated e-waste like lithium, barium, lead, and mercury affect fresh and marine water organisms, harm ecosystems, and disturb biodiversity. Moreover, they cause skin and digestive issues to the people and animals who drink, cook with, or swim in the contaminated water. Unfortunately, when acidification is present, the damage to ecosystems is often irreversible.

Plants

Plants need adequate air and water for them to thrive. Most of them are exposed to the air and water sources contaminated by e-waste. Depending on the levels of toxins from the air and water, some plants die while others have low yields.

The ones that end up as food for man or animals introduce the toxin into their digestive systems and significantly affect their health. At times, these plants become poisonous and cause the deaths of animals and humans. The low yields and death of plants exposed to toxins place the world at significant risk of starvation.

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Humans

People that come into contact with the toxic chemicals released by e-waste can develop debilitating physical and neurological conditions over time. The toxins from e-waste will enter the human body through ingestion, inhalation, or skin absorption.

Developmental issues, kidney damage, asthmatic bronchitis, DNA mutations, muscle weakness, hormone imbalance, and lowered immunity are a few health issues associated with improper disposal of e-waste. Some of these conditions are challenging and expensive to treat. However, a large number of the conditions are sadly untreatable.

Even with a knowledge of the above effects of e-waste that is not correctly disposed of, responsibility for its management is often tossed around. Most people think that governments are not doing enough to manage e-waste. Even so, proper e-waste management starts with you.

full service junk removal

Rather than throw away a cellphone, household appliance, or computer that you are not using in the trash, contact a full service junk removal company like Junk King Sonoma. This makes a big difference in the amount of e-waste that ends up in the wrong place and, therefore, reduces the above effects.

Junk King Sonoma will sort your trash into what can be donated and recycled before the rest is properly disposed of by specialized companies. The costs of e-waste disposal are surprisingly affordable because they are primarily based on the size of your appliance. Contact us for more information.

Junk King Sonoma
1364 N. McDowell Blvd Ste 8
Petaluma, CA 94954
Hours: M-Sa: 8A-4P

Providing junk removal services to the Sonoma area, including:

Annapolis
Cloverdale
Cotati
Fulton
Geyserville
Glen Ellen
Graton
Healdsburg
Kenwood
Penngrove
Petaluma
Rohnert Park
Santa Rosa
Sebastopol
Sonoma
Windsor
and these nearby zip codes:
94926, 94927, 94928, 94931, 94951, 94952, 94953, 94954, 94955, 94975, 94999, 95401, 95402, 95403, 95404, 95405, 95406, 95407, 95409, 95412, 95425, 95439, 95441, 95442, 95444, 95448, 95452, 95472, 95473, 95476, 95492