In many places it is illegal to throw away your old electronic devices because they contain significant amounts of hazardous chemicals, and because they are clogging landfills. For example, the picture tube in a TV or a computer monitor typically contains 3 to 5 pounds of lead, and electronic circuit boards have additional lead, cadmium and mercury.
To find out where to recycle such items, contact a recycler on the list of businesses in the Google search below. There is often a fee and certain types of devices are not accepted.
Historical perspective: According to Bloomberg in 2014, e-waste recycling is set to become a $100 billion annual global business as legislation catches up forcing companies to act responsibly. Many analysts expect the e-waste recovery industry to grow faster than any other waste stream over the five years.
NetLingo Classification: Net Hardware