Pelham students learn importance of recycling electronics

Students from Pelham Memorial High School got an education about the importance of recycling their smart phones and other electronics on a tour of the WeRecycle! plant in Mount Vernon, New York.

The tour gave the students an up-close look at where their old cell phones and computers should properly end up.

Between 300 million and 400 million electronic items are disposed of in the United States every year. Less than 20 percent of that e-waste is recycled. Although e-waste represents 2 percent of America’s trash in landfills, it equals 70 percent of overall toxic waste, due to the presence of heavy metals.