Electrical Cords & Cables Illegal in Garbage & Drains E-Waste Submit a Transportation Move Request to move electronic waste to B79. For items with DOE property tags, dispose through your Property Coordinator. Bare Electrical Wiring Is Recycled as Scrap Metal If you have bare electrical wiring, you can recycle it as scrap metal. Find out how to recycle scrap metal. Don’t Throw Cables in the Trash Whatever you do, cables should never go in the garbage. They contain metals like copper that make them hazardous waste if they’re put in the trash. Dangerous to Put in the Recycling It is extremely important that you never recycle cables with other recyclables. Long, stringy items, like holiday lights, old wires, and coat hangers, not only wreak havoc on equipment, but they’re also a safety hazard to employees. Did You Know? Eco-Friendly Cables There are actually “green” cables. In 2012, Apple and Volex, its power and USB cable supplier, announced that they would be making halogen-free power cables that are less toxic for the environment when they’re disposed of. The Problem of E-Waste E-waste is a dangerous business in India and China, where e-waste recycling plants release toxic chemicals into the air and cause health problems for recycling workers. To learn more about e-waste, check out The Story of Stuff Project.