Does your business need to get rid of a few old desktops, laptops, copiers, printers, speakers, or various consumer electronics? As upgrades happen or damage ruins your devices, you need a consistent way to throw away electronics without making a mess. To avoid fines in states with electronic waste recycling policies while making a bit of your money back, here are a few disposal and recycling planning points for companies with a lot of tech on their hands.

Recycling Whole Units, Components, Or Scraps

When recycling electronics, you need to know what the recycling center's pay rate database has to say about your materials. Some recycling centers allow bulk weight recycling as you bring in trucks of old systems, while others may give you the option to use a special rate for computers or other electronics with valuable scrap metal inside.

For computers, televisions, and appliances such as refrigerators or air conditioning units, avoid bulk weight recycling. For those major devices, certain recycling centers will pay you for an estimate of what these devices hold, and that's usually a much bigger payout because of the copper, gold, and other materials that are worth more than their rate in generic scrap.

You can take the recycling a step further by breaking the devices down to their components, or even the scrap metals within. The generic rates for computers may not take into account the custom components, such as larger heat sinks or heat sinks made out of copper. That said, it takes time and expertise to take apart the systems, so make sure that any earning are balanced out by the cost of tasking someone to dismantle the devices.

Disposal And Recycling Container Options

How are your electronics leaving the building? Are people carrying them to dumpsters, and is it safe to do this repeatedly?

Depending on the type of devices being thrown away, you could be putting employees in physical danger. If they have to reach too high to throw the devices away, they could suffer back, neck, or shoulder pain while trying to deposit the devices. There's also the risk of dropping the device during the reach.

Make sure that your business has containers that are specifically marked for recycling, and that their openings are low enough for deposit at around average waist height. Another option would be using roll off containers, which can allow employees or a third-party disposal team to simply walk into the back of the container on a ramp for safe placement.

For smaller devices and scrap metal, color-coded hand-carry crates or totes can help your organize different materials for specific delivery when the pay rates are sufficient. Contact a sanitation professional to discuss other options for your business recycling plan. For more information, contact companies like Chitty Garbage Service Inc.

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