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I wish…there were battery and electronics recycling bins (or Big Green Boxes) at the entrances of  all malls, libraries, supermarkets, and town halls.

Where does all of your old electronic stuff end up?  In the garage? Donated to your kids? In the case of small items, such as batteries and cell phones, in the garbage?  You are not alone.  According to the EPA, about 75% of all computers sold in the U.S. end up in garage or closet storage.  When it is finally thrown away, the majority ends up as “E-waste” pollutants in landfills or incinerators. Worse yet, in recent years more of this e-waste is being exported to developing countries that often lack the means to properly dispose of such waste, and where poorly protected laborers or children are often left to sort it.

The truth is that most “e-waste” can be reused or recycled.  Currently only 10-20% of potentially reusable or recyclable material undergoes proper end-of-life  processing; most of the stuff just ends up in our regular trash, gets marginally sorted, and then transported to the nearest landfill or incinerator.

The good news is there are companies like The Big Green Box (www.biggreenbox.com) that make e-waste disposable easy, safe and environmentally super friendly.  The company provides, at a low cost,  pre-constructed and fully assembled boxes into which all manner of e-waste can be disposed.  Plastic bags are provided to keep batteries and their potentially leaky  chemicals safely sealed away.  Once the box is filled, you call Fed-Ex and they will pick it up and deliver it to the appropriate recycling plant. The boxes are available for individual purchase or can be ordered in large quantities by municipalities and cities.

If you can afford it, do your part and order a box today (~$68, includes all delivery, pick up and processing fees).  For the sake of our planet, let’s get our governments to finance and distribute such boxes in conveniently located spots throughout our towns and cities!