2019 Recycling Industry Yearbook

ISRI.ORG 43 THE ELECTRONICS RECYCLING PROCESS Here’s how a computer can be repaired, refurbished, or recycled into new products. Sources: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, U.S. National Center for Electronics Recycling, EPA Factories use these valuable ingredients to make a variety of new products, preserving our natural resources in the process. START Your old computer can become new again. Families, businesses, and schools recycle their used electronics. All data sources are wiped clean and sanitized. The recycler inspects the equipment to see if it can be repaired. If it can, it is refurbished and re-sold to someone who needs it. If not, reusable parts are recovered for resale and the rest is processed so valuable materials can be safely and responsibly extracted. Steel, copper, aluminum, plastic, glass, and even gold and silver can all be found in electronics and recovered for recycling. Electronics