When I first started my ATM parts supply business 12 years ago, I knew ATMs were essential tools—they got people cash when banks closed, helped small businesses process transactions, and kept communities running smoothly. Back then, my focus was on sourcing reliable parts: card readers, cash dispensers, receipt printers, and the circuit boards that made the whole machine work. It wasn’t until a client in Chicago told me they had to scrap 40 old ATMs because their card readers failed and replacement parts were too hard to source that I started paying attention to the other side of the coin: what happens when these parts reach the end of their life, and how disposing of them impacts our planet. ATM Parts
Since that conversation, I’ve dug into the research, talked to e-waste recyclers, and even adjusted how I do business to reduce the footprint of my parts when they’re no longer useful. What I’ve learned is that ATMs aren’t just metal boxes with cash inside—they’re complex devices made up of dozens of components, each with its own environmental legacy. Let’s break down what happens when these parts are discarded, and why suppliers like us have a big role to play in fixing the problem.
First, let’s talk about the composition of an ATM. Most people don’t realize that a single ATM can weigh between 500 and 800 pounds, with about 30% of that being electronic components. There’s the cash dispenser, which holds thousands of dollars in bills and uses motors, sensors, and control boards. The card reader has magnetic strips and chip readers, often with small circuit boards that have gold, copper, and even palladium. The receipt printer uses thermal paper (which has its own issues, but we’ll get to that) and small motors. Then there’s the main control unit, a large circuit board with a host of heavy metals: lead, mercury, cadmium, and arsenic. Even the casing is a mix of steel, plastic, and sometimes aluminum. All of these materials mean that when an ATM part is tossed into a regular trash bin, it’s not just garbage—it’s a cocktail of hazardous and valuable materials.
The biggest risk comes from improper disposal, and that’s far more common than you’d think. A few years back, a study by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) found that only 15% of electronic waste (e-waste) in the U.S. is properly recycled. The rest ends up in landfills, incinerators, or is shipped overseas to countries with little environmental regulation. When electronic parts like ATM circuit boards end up in landfills, rainwater seeps through the waste, leaching heavy metals into the soil and groundwater. Lead, for example, can take centuries to break down, and even small amounts can cause serious health issues—especially for children, who absorb more lead from contaminated water than adults. Mercury, another common component in ATM sensors, can turn into methylmercury in waterways, which builds up in fish and ends up in our food supply. That’s not just a distant problem; a 2021 report from the World Health Organization linked e-waste-related mercury exposure to over 200,000 premature deaths annually.
Incineration is another common (but harmful) disposal method. Some companies burn electronic waste to reduce its volume, but that releases toxic fumes into the air. ATM parts with plastic components, like the printer housings or card reader casings, release dioxins and furans when burned—chemicals that are known carcinogens. The lead and cadmium in circuit boards also get released into the air, which can be carried for miles and settle on crops or in residential areas. I remember visiting a small incinerator in Ohio in 2019 that was processing old ATMs, and the owner told me they had to install expensive filters to capture some of the toxins, but even with that, the stack tests showed small amounts of lead and mercury were still escaping. That’s the trade-off: incineration reduces waste volume, but it doesn’t eliminate pollution—it just moves it from the landfill to the air.
Then there’s the problem of unregulated e-waste shipping. Large numbers of old ATM parts are shipped to countries in Africa and Southeast Asia, where workers break them apart by hand to extract valuable metals like gold and copper. This process, called “backyard recycling,” is incredibly dangerous. Workers use open pits to burn off plastic, releasing toxic fumes, and use acid to leach metals from circuit boards, which often seeps into local water sources. A 2020 investigation by Greenpeace found that in Ghana’s e-waste hub of Agbogbloshie, soil lead levels were 10 times the safe limit set by the WHO, and children who worked recycling e-waste had blood lead levels three times higher than the threshold for concern. For a supplier like me, this was a wake-up call: when I sell a replacement card reader or cash dispenser, I’m not just delivering a part—I’m contributing to a global waste stream that harms people on the other side of the world if we don’t manage disposal responsibly.
But it’s not all doom and gloom. There are ways to mitigate these impacts, and over the years, my business has shifted to prioritize solutions that keep ATM parts out of landfills and reduce harm. Let’s start with circular economy principles, which are at the core of what we do now. When a bank comes to me with an old ATM that needs to be replaced, I don’t just sell them a new part and walk away. I offer a take-back program: we arrange to pick up the old parts, whether it’s a single card reader or an entire ATM, and send them to a certified e-waste recycler. This isn’t just a nice gesture—it’s good business, because many of the components in old ATMs can be refurbished and reused. For example, a cash dispenser motor that’s worn out can be rebuilt with new bearings instead of being discarded, cutting down on the need to mine new metals. In 2022, our take-back program kept over 12,000 pounds of ATM parts out of landfills, and we were able to refurbish and resell 38% of the returned components. That’s a win-win: we’re reducing waste, and we’re able to offer lower-priced refurbished parts to small businesses that can’t afford brand new ones.
Another way we’re addressing the environmental impact is by working with manufacturers to design more sustainable ATM parts. A few years ago, I started collaborating with a circuit board maker who uses lead-free solder in their products. Lead is one of the most toxic materials in electronic parts, so switching to lead-free solder means that when a circuit board is disposed of, it’s less likely to leach harmful metals into the environment. We also started sourcing parts from manufacturers that use recycled plastics in their casings—instead of new plastic made from fossil fuels, the casings are made from post-consumer recycled plastic, which reduces carbon emissions by about 70% compared to virgin plastic. It’s a small change, but over thousands of parts, that adds up.
We also educate our clients about proper disposal. Many banks and small business owners don’t know that standard trash services won’t handle electronic parts, and they might accidentally toss an old receipt printer into the dumpster. We make it a point to share resources about certified recyclers in their area, and we even offer to coordinate the pickup for them. Last year, a small credit union in Detroit told me they had 15 old ATMs sitting in their parking lot for six months because they didn’t know who to call. We arranged a pickup with a certified recycler, and it cost them less than hiring a dumpster—so it saved them money, too. That’s another key point: proper disposal doesn’t have to be a burden. When you work with a reputable recycler, they can often pay for the parts themselves by extracting valuable metals like copper and gold, so the end user doesn’t have to pay a dime.
But there’s still a lot of work to be done. One of the biggest challenges is that many small businesses don’t have the budget for take-back programs, and some recyclers are still uncertified, so it’s hard to know who to trust. That’s why we’ve partnered with the Electronic Recyclers Certification Program (e-Stewards) to ensure that every part we take back is processed in a way that’s safe and responsible. We also advocate for stricter regulations for e-waste disposal, both here in the U.S. and abroad. The U.S. doesn’t have a federal law that requires electronic waste to be recycled, which means that companies can still ship old ATM parts overseas to unregulated recyclers. I’ve testified at a few local city council meetings in Ohio (where our warehouse is based) to push for e-waste disposal mandates for businesses, and it’s starting to gain traction.
Another area of focus is thermal paper, which is used in ATM receipts. Traditional thermal paper has Bisphenol A (BPA) or Bisphenol S (BPS), chemicals that are linked to hormone disruption. A 2018 study found that ATM receipts are a major source of BPA exposure for people who handle them regularly—cashiers, ATM users, even people who work at recycling centers. We’ve started stocking BPA-free thermal paper as an option for our clients, and we’re working with ATM manufacturers to design receipt printers that use less paper, or digital receipts that are sent to customers’ phones instead of printed. Last year, we helped a grocery chain in Cleveland switch to digital receipts for their ATMs, which reduced their thermal paper waste by 90% and saved them over $10,000 a year. That’s a tangible impact that’s easy to achieve.
I’ve learned over the years that being an ATM parts supplier isn’t just about selling parts—it’s about being responsible for the entire lifecycle of those parts. When a customer buys a card reader from us, they’re counting on it to work for 5 to 7 years, but when it’s done, we have to make sure it doesn’t harm the planet. That’s why we’ve invested in training our team to talk to clients about disposal options, to partner with certified recyclers, and to source parts that are built to last and easy to recycle.
If you’re a bank owner, a small business operator, or another parts supplier, I know it can feel overwhelming to think about the environmental impact of disposing of ATM parts. But the good news is that there are simple, actionable steps you can take. We’re here to help: whether you have an old ATM part you need to get rid of, you’re looking for more sustainable replacement parts, or you want to set up a take-back program for your business, we can work with you to find a solution that reduces waste and protects our planet.
At the end of the day, ATMs are about connecting people to their money, and we want that connection to be as sustainable as possible. For too long, the environmental cost of electronic waste has been hidden in landfills and distant countries, but that’s changing. By working together, we can make sure that when an ATM part reaches the end of its life, it doesn’t become a burden—it becomes a resource, recycled and reused to build new parts and new machines that keep our communities running.
Rubber Products References
World Health Organization. (2021). E-waste and child health: A public health crisis. Geneva, Switzerland: WHO Press.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. (2020). E-waste management in the United States: 2019 data report. Washington, D.C.: EPA.
Greenpeace. (2020). Agbogbloshie’s toxic legacy: E-waste and human health in Ghana. Amsterdam, Netherlands: Greenpeace International.
Electronic Frontier Foundation. (2018). Bisphenol exposure from thermal receipt paper: A review of the evidence. San Francisco, CA: EFF.
e-Stewards. (2022). Certified e-waste recycler performance report. Seattle, WA: Basel Action Network.
Shenzhen Anfeng Rubber Plastics & Hardware Products Co., Ltd.
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