Slate Magazine’s recent Green Lantern article responds to a question I’ve often faced as a college student living in an electronics-centric world: How can I safely and ethically recycle my old electronics?

According to the article, the Basel Action Network estimates that 80 percent of “e-waste” collected for recycling in the U.S. is actually shipped to developing countries such as China or Africa. Most of this waste ends up in informal salvage yards, where workers use methods like acid application and incineration to obtain metals and other useful components of the electronics.

The first goal of an environmentally-minded electronics consumer should be to start with long-lasting items that can be repaired. Unfortunately, it is more than likely that new computer parts, appliances, music players and mobile phones will eventually require replacement.

Many electronics manufacturers such as Apple and Dell now have recycling programs in place for their own products. Some stores such as Staples and Best Buy also have comprehensive recycling programs.

Ebay, Half.com, and Amazon.com are great for selling items that are still in working order.

Local venues such as Craigslist and Freecycle are great means of passing old electronics on to someone who can use them. I recently posted a broken electric kettle on the Craigslist “free” section, and not only did somebody take it for their own use, but I received two emails about how I could fix it myself! (Too bad that was after it had been picked up!)

The Cambridge DPW drop-off recycling program accepts reasonably-sized electronics, defined as “Anything with a cord or battery operated electronic that one person can lift.” They also wipe information from computers that they salvage, so data theft from recycled hard drives is not a problem. However, they do not accept larger items like TV’s, computer monitors, or industrial items.

For even more electronics recycling options, the Slate article links to a list of nationwide “E-Stewards” who have pledged to meet rigorous sustainability and socially just electronics recycling criteria.

The E-Stewards listed for Massachusetts are Electronic Recyclers International, Inc. who have a recycling center located in Gardner, Mass, and Metech International, Inc., aka Guaranteed Recycling Xperts (GRX) , with a center in Worcester. These centers recycle a variety of computer and electronics equipment and pledge not to export items to other nations.