Only 39% of Americans recycle all of their old electronic gadgets, according to a new report. Retrevo.com’s gadget census found only about a third of Americans say they recycle their gadgets, while another third said they haven’t gotten around to it or don’t care about recycling. Only 11% said recycling is not available in their area. According to the EPA, electronics made up 2% of municipal waste in 2008. From 1980 to 2007, 235 million pieces of electronics had accumulated in storage, including 65.7 million desktop computers, 42.4 million computer monitors, 2.1 million notebook computers, 99.1 million TVs, and 25.2 million hard copy peripherals. Considering the explosion in new devices since then, the numbers will only go up. Other survey highlights:
· Only 15% of electronic waste, or e-waste, is recycled in the United States.
· The top states in the country for gadget recycling include California, Minnesota, Maryland, and Oregon, which leads with 53% recycling.
· The top four metro areas that recycle include the San Francisco Bay Area, Washington D.C. Metro Area, Phoenix and Los Angeles.
· People in New York are more likely to have iPads, while Maryland has the greatest percentage of smartphones and flat panel televisions. Laptops are most popular in Colorado, e-readers in Massachusetts, point-and-shoot cameras in Michigan, and low-tech phones in Pennsylvania.
· 88% of Americans have a television in the living room, 68% in the bedroom, and 17% in the kitchen. Only 3% admitted having a television in the bathroom and 7% in the garage. Atlanta residents are most likely to have a TV in every room.
