Guide to Electronics Recycling and Destruction in Chicago

The supply of new high-tech products grows exponentially all the time, while the lifespan of our devices grows shorter. When mobile phones, TVs, computers, laptops, and household appliances become broken or obsolete, they quickly pile up, leading to an ever-increasing amount of electronic waste, also known as e-waste.

Today, electronic waste is one of the fastest growing waste streams. Luckily, at PROSHRED® Chicago we do more than just paper shredding. We believe electronics recycling is the best way to prevent e-waste and safely, legally dispose of unwanted devices.

The Benefits of Electronics Recycling

Recycling old electronics instead of throwing them away helps keep the planet clean and safe. By recycling old electronics, these items can be refurbished and reused, extending their lifetime and minimizing the amount of non-biodegradable waste that ends up in local landfills. For any remaining materials that can’t be reused or salvaged, the PROSHRED® e-cycling process allows us to recover heavy metals and other materials from devices, saving natural resources, reducing pollution, and conserving landfill space.

While electronics recycling is great for the environment, it’s also great for homes and businesses. Not only does e-cycling minimize clutter in your home, office, or warehouse, it also keeps sensitive data from ending up in a dumpster. Smart data thieves are able to extract digital material from old electronics, often even after they’ve been erased. The only way to ensure your computers, hard drives, and other devices are truly safe is by destroying and recycling them.

What Electronic Items Can be Recycled?

You might be surprised at what can be recycled these days. Most typical household and consumer items with internal hardware, a power plug, or a battery can be safely and efficiently recycled with an electronics recycling program. Even if your devices aren’t in working order, there are plastic, metal, glass, palladium, copper, silver, and even gold elements that can be recovered and reused. By keeping these metals from ending up in the trash, e-cycling helps keep consumer prices low, while reducing the need to mine new metals or produce new parts. Some examples of e-waste include smartphones, tablets, computers and computer components, electronic toys, microwaves, printers, and scanners. With e-cycling, batteries, computer chips, digital displays, wiring, and other components can all find new life again.

Wondering what you can’t recycle? Our Chicago electronic recycling facility is not accepting televisions at this time. Call PROSHRED® Chicago and speak with a representative to find out more!

How Electronic Recycling Works

As a trusted electronics recycling facility, we disassemble the electronics before separating and categorizing the contents by material. Items that cannot be further sorted are then shredded mechanically before additional sorting using advanced separation technologies. All pieces and parts that can be salvaged, reused, or recycled are separated out and eventually become something new. Thanks to this high level of efficiency, PROSHRED® Chicago is able to reduce the demand on local landfills and keep viable parts in the marketplace for longer.

Where to Properly Dispose of Old Electronics

PROSHRED® is a leader in electronics recycling and e-waste disposal with a full-service shredding facility located near you. We accept most electronics that can be plugged in or are battery-powered. Everything from televisions and computers to cell phones, microwaves, printers, and other household items can be recycled on-site. If you’re located in the greater Chicago area, PROSHRED® Chicago offers e-cycling for residents, businesses, and production facilities of any size. Just like with our hard drive destruction services, our heavy-duty industrial shredders are designed to fully destroy any and all products and materials in a safe, secure manner.

We’re committed to keeping data protected, keeping companies compliant, and keeping old electronics out of our local Illinois landfills. If you need electronic waste recycling in Chicago, PROSHRED® is here to help! Contact us today to learn more about our full range of shredding and recycling services: 1-708-263-4292