Yet despite these risks, it is disappointing to say that only a fraction of us, recycle our e-waste properly.

According to the EPA:

"Electronics consist of valuable resources, such as precious metals, copper, and engineered plastics, all of which require considerable energy to process and manufacture. Recycling electronics recovers valuable materials, conserves virgin resources, and results in lower environmental emissions (including greenhouse gases) than making products from virgin materials.

For example:

Recycling 1 million desktop computers prevents the release of greenhouse gases equivalent to the annual emissions of over 17,000 passenger cars.

Recycling 1 million cell phones saves enough energy to power more than 19,000 US households with electricity for an entire year."

With 20 to 50 million tons of electronic waste being discarded each year, the time for positive action is now. Some government are making the dumping of e-waste into landfills illegal, which is a step in the right direction, while others are running computer recycling events, next to schools and universities, where consumers may drop of their items free of charge. This has been hugely popular and promotes the idea that, when prompted, the general public will recycle.