Did you know that between 300 and 400 million electronic items are disposed each year? Less than 20% of this "e-waste" is recycled. Since e-waste contains toxic heavy metals – such as lead, mercury, and cadmium – it amounts to 70% of overall toxic waste.
Since 2008, the Environmental Health & Safety Department (EnvHS) at The Mount Sinai Hospital has understood the importance of recycling our electronics. Mount Sinai sends e-waste to a recycling center in Massachusetts that specializes in electronics recycling. Once the e-waste has arrived, potentially toxic components are separated from other reusable parts.
In 2010, Mount Sinai recycled over 87,000 pounds of electronics – including computers, monitors, printers, scanners and other devices commonly found around the campus. This is 250% increase from 2008. By the end of 2011, it is estimated that we will have shipped over 200 thousand pounds of e-waste for recycling.
For any questions regarding e-waste recycling activities at Mount Sinai, please contact Sal Tranchina, Senior Director of EnvHS at email@example.com.