Is It Legal to Trash Computers In Florida? In general, the state of Florida has surprisingly lax laws when it comes to electronic waste disposal.
Quote from the FDEP: The Florida Department of Environmental Protection strongly recommends recycling all unwanted electronic products such as televisions, computers and cell phones. While Florida has no specific laws or regulations that apply to discarded electronic products, there are more general regulations that do apply. In a June 16, 2008, memorandum “Regulatory Guidelines for the Management of Unwanted Electronic Products,” the department clarified the regulations that apply to unwanted electronics.
The rules and laws pertaining to electronic waste in Florida do vary from county to county. There does not appear to be a great deal of enforcement of electronic waste dumping in Florida. The reason why there is little to no enforcement is that most people know electronic waste has value for recycling. Although it is trash it still can be recycled and is recommended, particularly so for laptop and desktop computers, cell phones, and tablets. They are hazardous waste and the sheer volume of them used would be detrimental to an already fragile environment in Florida if they end up in a dump-site.
Throughout the history of the industrial revolution, the pollution created has been a topic of great concern. Fighting the giant conglomerates has been a monumental task for achieving a cleaner environment. In the United States, we moved the manufacturing pollution to other countries because they were subject to less regulation. Unfortunately, it only bought time before it caught up to us and the world.
Humanity has great instincts and as a result, together we are helping to create a cleaner environment. Most people feel guilty about throwing hazardous waste in the trash and rightfully so.
The electronic age is relatively new compared to most industries but humanity seems to understand throwing electronics in the garbage is a bad idea. The computer age has brought an understanding that dumping electronics is extremely harmful to the environment.
I would love a penny for every electronic device people hold on to for no other reason than they don’t know how to dispose of them safely. They just don’t know how or where to dispose of their electronics.
The biggest favor anybody can do for themselves is to dispose of their computers and electronics sooner than later. Get paid for disposing of them, or trade them for free tech services.
If your electronics have value you can sell them to Green Computer Recycle, but they must have value. If you are not sure what the value of your equipment is, simply fill out our contact form and tell us what you have? We will tell you exactly what the value of your computer equipment is. You might be wondering why I commonly refer to computers as having value, it is because most other electronics do not have much value if any at all.
At the end of the day, the most important thing is our environment. Protecting our wetlands, canals, rivers, and lakes from toxic runoff in Florida is critical. All things start local and we all know that, so let’s help protect Florida’s water and wildlife by recycling all of our electronics! Give us a call or better yet fill out our contact form and you can be sure your computer equipment will be recycled end to end, down to the last screw. Give us a call and see if your computer donations qualify for free tech services, such as data removal.