Facilities Provide Drop-Offs To Dispose Of Electronic Waste

More than ever, our lives are intertwined with electronics. Convenience, productivity and entertainment can be enhanced with smart phones, computers, tablets, audio/visual devices and gaming equipment. However, rapid technology advances, changes in media, falling prices, and planned obsolescence are creating the fastest growing component of our daily solid waste stream – electronic waste or e-waste.

While many electronics contain elements such as lead, mercury, or cadmium that are safe when the items are used as intended, they can be hazardous if disposed of in household trash and compacted at landfills. Cathode ray tube televisions and computer monitors contain an average of four pounds of lead depending on the size and model. The largest source of cadmium in municipal waste is rechargeable nickel-cadmium (NiCd) batteries, commonly found in laptops, cell phones, and cameras. If not handled properly, these toxins can be released into the environment, posing a threat to human health. Therefore, it is critical to keep them out of the waste stream and landfills.

In Northwest Arkansas, we are fortunate that there are several e-waste recycling options that are always available with a small fee charged to cover the cost of disassembly, asset recovery and disposal. However, through Jan. 16, 2015, Washington County Environmental Affairs and Boston Mountain Solid Waste District in partnership with eSCO Processing and Recycling are offering a FREE electronics recycling opportunity! The program is open to the public as well as schools and businesses. Participants may bring up to 10 items including computers, printers, copiers, phones, stereos, televisions, fax machines, cables, shredders, microwaves, VCR and DVD players, video game consoles, satellite receivers and handheld devices. Drop-off locations are at Boston Mountain Solid Waste in Prairie Grove or the Washington County Environmental Affairs Household Hazardous Water Drop-Off facility in south Fayetteville.

As you start the new year with new electronics or a renewed sense of organization and purging, please take advantage of this free program to properly recycle broken, unwanted or outdated electronic devices. For more information, visit bostonmountain.org or call 479-846-3005.