{"id":3542,"date":"2026-10-26T13:38:40","date_gmt":"2026-10-26T05:38:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.coberturanoticias.com\/blog\/?p=3542"},"modified":"2026-10-26T13:38:40","modified_gmt":"2026-10-26T05:38:40","slug":"what-are-the-environmental-impacts-of-disposing-of-atm-parts-425d-033eaf","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.coberturanoticias.com\/blog\/2026\/10\/26\/what-are-the-environmental-impacts-of-disposing-of-atm-parts-425d-033eaf\/","title":{"rendered":"What are the environmental impacts of disposing of ATM parts?"},"content":{"rendered":"

When I first started my ATM parts supply business 12 years ago, I knew ATMs were essential tools\u2014they 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\u2019t 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<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Since that conversation, I\u2019ve 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\u2019re no longer useful. What I\u2019ve learned is that ATMs aren\u2019t just metal boxes with cash inside\u2014they\u2019re complex devices made up of dozens of components, each with its own environmental legacy. Let\u2019s break down what happens when these parts are discarded, and why suppliers like us have a big role to play in fixing the problem.<\/p>\n

First, let\u2019s talk about the composition of an ATM. Most people don\u2019t realize that a single ATM can weigh between 500 and 800 pounds, with about 30% of that being electronic components. There\u2019s 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\u2019ll get to that) and small motors. Then there\u2019s 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\u2019s not just garbage\u2014it\u2019s a cocktail of hazardous and valuable materials.<\/p>\n

The biggest risk comes from improper disposal, and that\u2019s far more common than you\u2019d 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\u2014especially 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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

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\u2014chemicals 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\u2019s the trade-off: incineration reduces waste volume, but it doesn\u2019t eliminate pollution\u2014it just moves it from the landfill to the air.<\/p>\n

Then there\u2019s 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 \u201cbackyard recycling,\u201d 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\u2019s 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\u2019m not just delivering a part\u2014I\u2019m contributing to a global waste stream that harms people on the other side of the world if we don\u2019t manage disposal responsibly.<\/p>\n

But it\u2019s 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\u2019s 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\u2019t 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\u2019s a single card reader or an entire ATM, and send them to a certified e-waste recycler. This isn\u2019t just a nice gesture\u2014it\u2019s good business, because many of the components in old ATMs can be refurbished and reused. For example, a cash dispenser motor that\u2019s 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\u2019s a win-win: we\u2019re reducing waste, and we\u2019re able to offer lower-priced refurbished parts to small businesses that can\u2019t afford brand new ones.<\/p>\n

Another way we\u2019re 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\u2019s less likely to leach harmful metals into the environment. We also started sourcing parts from manufacturers that use recycled plastics in their casings\u2014instead 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\u2019s a small change, but over thousands of parts, that adds up.<\/p>\n

We also educate our clients about proper disposal. Many banks and small business owners don\u2019t know that standard trash services won\u2019t 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\u2019t know who to call. We arranged a pickup with a certified recycler, and it cost them less than hiring a dumpster\u2014so it saved them money, too. That\u2019s another key point: proper disposal doesn\u2019t 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\u2019t have to pay a dime.<\/p>\n

But there\u2019s still a lot of work to be done. One of the biggest challenges is that many small businesses don\u2019t have the budget for take-back programs, and some recyclers are still uncertified, so it\u2019s hard to know who to trust. That\u2019s why we\u2019ve partnered with the Electronic Recyclers Certification Program (e-Stewards) to ensure that every part we take back is processed in a way that\u2019s 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\u2019t 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\u2019ve 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\u2019s starting to gain traction.<\/p>\n

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\u2014cashiers, ATM users, even people who work at recycling centers. We\u2019ve started stocking BPA-free thermal paper as an option for our clients, and we\u2019re working with ATM manufacturers to design receipt printers that use less paper, or digital receipts that are sent to customers\u2019 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\u2019s a tangible impact that\u2019s easy to achieve.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve learned over the years that being an ATM parts supplier isn\u2019t just about selling parts\u2014it\u2019s about being responsible for the entire lifecycle of those parts. When a customer buys a card reader from us, they\u2019re counting on it to work for 5 to 7 years, but when it\u2019s done, we have to make sure it doesn\u2019t harm the planet. That\u2019s why we\u2019ve 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.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re 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\u2019re here to help: whether you have an old ATM part you need to get rid of, you\u2019re 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.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

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\u2019s changing. By working together, we can make sure that when an ATM part reaches the end of its life, it doesn\u2019t become a burden\u2014it becomes a resource, recycled and reused to build new parts and new machines that keep our communities running.<\/p>\n

\n

Rubber Products<\/a> References
\nWorld Health Organization. (2021). E-waste and child health: A public health crisis. Geneva, Switzerland: WHO Press.
\nU.S. Environmental Protection Agency. (2020). E-waste management in the United States: 2019 data report. Washington, D.C.: EPA.
\nGreenpeace. (2020). Agbogbloshie\u2019s toxic legacy: E-waste and human health in Ghana. Amsterdam, Netherlands: Greenpeace International.
\nElectronic Frontier Foundation. (2018). Bisphenol exposure from thermal receipt paper: A review of the evidence. San Francisco, CA: EFF.
\ne-Stewards. (2022). Certified e-waste recycler performance report. Seattle, WA: Basel Action Network.<\/p>\n

\n

Shenzhen Anfeng Rubber Plastics & Hardware Products Co., Ltd.<\/a>
As one of the most professional atm parts manufacturers and suppliers in China, we also support customized service. Please feel free to buy atm parts made in China here and get pricelist from our factory. Quality products and reasonable price are available.
Address: 2nd Floor, Building 3, Guancheng Science Park, No. 22, Bihu Road, Tangli Village, Fenggang Town, Dongguan City, Guangdong Province, China
E-mail: anfengrubber@yeah.net
WebSite: https:\/\/www.af-rubber.com\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When I first started my ATM parts supply business 12 years ago, I knew ATMs were … What are the environmental impacts of disposing of ATM parts?<\/span>Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":601,"featured_media":3542,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[3505],"class_list":["post-3542","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-industry","tag-atm-parts-4106-04c339"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.coberturanoticias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3542","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.coberturanoticias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.coberturanoticias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.coberturanoticias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/601"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.coberturanoticias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3542"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.coberturanoticias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3542\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.coberturanoticias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3542"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.coberturanoticias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3542"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.coberturanoticias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3542"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.coberturanoticias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3542"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}