On Thanksgiving, families around the US come together to enjoy company, friends, poultry, and even football. Then the real fun begins the very next day with Black Friday, a shopaholic’s dream. Clothes, toys, gadgets, electronics, and more. But …

On Thanksgiving, families around the US come together to enjoy company, friends, poultry, and even football. Then the real fun begins the very next day with Black Friday, a shopaholic’s dream. Clothes, toys, gadgets, electronics, and more. But we bet you never thought that this was the perfect time of year for electronics recycling!

Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, was originally given its name in 1966 by the Philadelphia police department. This was from the heavy traffic, congested sidewalks, and the general chaos that followed due to huge jumps in shopping activity. But how can we balance this drive for purchasing with the values of the holidays, like goodwill, community, and charity?

Did you know that electronics are the second most popular purchase on Black Friday? Clearly, many of the electronics that we own before Black Friday will become almost obsolete after purchasing cheaper, newer items. Given that this spike in electronic purchases happens immediately after Thanksgiving, we have an opportunity to show thankfulness for Earth’s resources and for the abundance of commodities at our fingertips through recycling.

Over the years, we’ve all seen the violence and overall disregard for others when shopping on Black Friday. There is a disconnect between celebrating what we have one day, then being gripped by material desires the next. But, we can buy something new the day after Thanksgiving as long as we, as a society, stay true to what this holiday is really about and be grateful for what we have, like the earth.

Although nearly 100% of electronics are recyclable, the actual recycling rate is dismal. On average, only 15-20% of electronics purchased by Americans are recycled. In fact, Americans throw away $60 million of silver and gold every year by not recycling their cell phones, which contain a lot of precious metals. That means we needlessly mine the earth for these materials when there’s plenty sitting around, free for the taking.

In the days following Black Friday and Christmas, let’s try and incorporate electronics recycling into our busy lives. Not only would we be preserving the environment, but we’d also help society as a whole by being consciously thankful for what we have.

For more information about electronics recycling in San Francisco, call us at (650) 493-8700 or visit our Burlingame EcoCenter!

Written By Eddie Garnica

James Kao is the founder/CEO of GreenCitizen, which provides products and services that help make every day Earth Day. He's passionate about data and sustainability, with a deep background in launching, funding, and managing successful tech companies. James enjoys spending quality time with his family, hiking, traveling, watching well-made documentaries, and eating good healthy food. read more »

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