Why recycle electronics?

Electronics make up 1% of municipal waste.

Electronic circuit boards, batteries, and color cathode ray tubes (CRTs) can contain hazardous materials such as lead, mercury and hexavalent chromium. If improperly handled or disposed, these toxins can be released into the environment through landfill leachate or incinerator ash.

In just one year, over 112 million pounds of valuable materials were recovered from disposed electronics for recycling and reuse. Materials includes steel, glass, plastic and precious metals

The EPA has a page of links for places that will take old computers for recycling.

While recycling old computers is important, making environmentally friendly purchases can make a significant impact. This site has a detailed guide about environmentally friendly electronics purchasing.