
And for every 1 million recycled cell phones, 35,000 pounds of copper, 772 pounds of silver, 75 pounds of gold and 33 pounds of palladium can be recovered, said the EPA. “Donating or recycling consumer electronics conserves our natural resources and avoids air and water pollution, as well as greenhouse gas emissions that are caused by manufacturing virgin materials,” the federal agency said.Īccording to the EPA, recycling 1 million laptops is equivalent to saving the amount of electricity used by more than 3,500 U.S.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, electronics are also made of valuable materials that “require energy to mine and manufacture.”
