<P> "E-cycling" or "E-waste" is an initiative by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) which refers to donations, reuse, shredding and general collection of used electronics . Generically, the term refers to the process of collecting, brokering, disassembling, repairing and recycling the components or metals contained in used or discarded electronic equipment, otherwise known as electronic waste (e-waste). "E-cyclable" items include, but are not limited to: televisions, computers, microwave ovens, vacuum cleaners, telephones and cellular phones, stereos, and VCRs and DVDs just about anything that has a cord, light or takes some kind of battery . </P> <P> Investment in e-cycling facilities has been increasing recently due to technology's rapid rate of obsolescence, concern over improper methods, and opportunities for manufacturers to influence the secondary market (used and reused products). The higher metal prices is also having more recycling taking place . The controversy around methods stems from a lack of agreement over preferred outcomes . </P> <P> World markets with lower disposable incomes, consider 75% repair and reuse to be valuable enough to justify 25% disposal . Debate and certification standards may be leading to better definitions, though civil law contracts, governing the expected process are still vital to any contracted process, as poorly defined as "e-cycling". </P> <P> The e-waste disposal occurring after processing for reuse, repair of equipment, and recovery of metals may be unethical or illegal when e-scrap of many kinds is transported overseas to developing countries for such processing . It is transported as if to be repaired and / or recycled, but after processing the less valuable e-scrap becomes e-waste / pollution there . Another point of view is that the net environmental cost must be compared to and include the mining, refining and extraction with its waste and pollution cost of new products manufactured to replace secondary products which are routinely destroyed in wealthier nations, and which cannot economically be repaired in older or obsolete products . As an example of negative impacts of e-waste, pollution of groundwater has become so serious in areas surrounding China's landfills that water must be shipped in from 18 miles (29 km) away . However, mining of new metals can have even broader impacts on groundwater . Either thorough e-cycling processing, domestic processing or overseas repair, can help the environment by avoiding pollution . Such e-cycling can theoretically be a sustainable alternative to disposing of e-waste in landfills . In addition, e-cycling allows for the reclamation of potential conflict minerals, like gold and wolframite, which requires less of those to be mined and lessens the potential money flow to militias and other exploitative actors in third - world that profit from mining them . </P>

Describe the two primary methods of recycling a computer and explain the difference between them