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Where does that e-waste go?
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WHERE DOES THAT E-WASTE GO?
Eagan-based Materials Processing Corp. says it recycles 95.3 percent of what it collects, and sends the remaining 4.7 percent to renewable-energy power plants.
• Steel goes into construction materials
• Copper goes into new electronics wiring
• Plastic casings get repurposed into paintbrush handles and flowerpots
• Shrink wrap is turned into outdoor deck materials
• Glass is recycled into new glass
• Still-viable laptops, televisions and accessories are stripped of personal information and resold at its Reboot retail store
But there's still a lot of stuff gathering dust in basements, kitchen drawers and in back-room storage areas at businesses. To wit:
• Just 18 percent of Americans recycled their e-waste in 2007.
• 65.7 million desktop computers and 99 million televisions are waiting to get recycled nationwide.
• Of the 140 million cell phones taken out of use in 2007, a mere 14 million were recycled.
To find out where to recycle electronics in Minnesota:
Sources: Environmental Protection Agency, Minnesota Pollution Control, Materials Processing Corp.
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