guest post by Tiffany Jersey

When you think about your smart phone or tablet, or even the batteries that you use in your remote, do you think about much more than their capabilities? Probably not: you’re mostly worrying about the Wi-Fi connection speed you have or the apps you want to download, or even just how long the batteries will power your remote.

But what goes in to all that tech is important because of what happens to it after you’re done using it. The U.S. is the biggest contributor to electronic waste on the planet, and we’re churning it out at an ever-increasing rate of about 8 percent more each year. When we don’t recycle that e-waste, we’re doing more than just building up landfills (although that’s important to consider). We’re also pushing small amounts of dangerous metals back into the soil and water, where they can eventually contaminate what we consume. What can and should we do about it? The suggestions in this graphic can help.