FACES & PLACES GREEN LIVING APRIL 2009   Recycling Electronic Equipment By Hope Blaythorne Recently purchase a new flat screen television, but want to dispose of your old television but are not sure how? Americans will discard roughly 2.25 million tons of computers, printers, cell phones and other electronics. Sadly 82% ended up in landfills. However, the majority of electronic devices maybe able to be reused or recycled. Sometimes electronics are cast away not because they do not work, but because there is a replacement or a faster model etc.  Devices that are still working might be able to be given to someone in need, so this allows the device to be reused versus being recycled. Reusing a device is the highest form of recycling. There are many rotary clubs and other organizations that take cell phones and other electronics that are still functional. Free-cycling sites are another avenue, as they are typically local sites that offer ‘free” products to folks willing to come pick them up. You can search their web site to find a group in your area, www.freecycle.org. You could also post items in bulk and have folks stop by to pick them up at specific hours. The National Center for Electronics Recycling, a non-profit group based in West Virginia has a website where you can find more information about drop-off centers- www.electronicrecycling.org.   www.mygreenelectronics.org allows searches by zip code and is sponsored by the Consumer Electronics Association. Another option is to bring smaller electronics back to big chain stores, such as Best Buy and Staples, who allow you to drop off most electronics for recycling. Also earth911.com is a public-private partnership which lets you search for recycling locations by type of electronic and address. Items such as TV’s and computer monitors can be classified as hazardous by the federal government, which is why some places might not accept them for recycling. Cathode ray tubes have a decent amount of lead in them and they can leach over time. Batteries also contain heavy metals which are very bad for the environment, so make sure they are disposed of properly as well. RadioShack, Best Buy, Home Depot and Lowes all participate in a national recycling program for rechargeable batteries. Regular alkaline batteries don’t have an easy process to recycle so sadly they still end up in the landfill. Some technology vendors are also offering free recycling, such as Apple, Dell, Samsung, Sony and IBM. For example, IBM makes it easy and economical for business to recycle 1 to 250 pieces of IBM and non-IBM equipment. IBM Asset Recovery Solutions now offers a recycling service for assets without market value in accordance with applicable United States federal, state, and local laws. So before you cast away that old computer, cell phone or television, explore the options available to keep it out of our landfills- and also think of how it might be able to help someone else.