Electronics shouldn't be put in the trash or at the curb
MADISON -- It's the time of the year that many people empty basements, clean out drawers and find new homes for all the clutter that accumulated over the winter. For a growing number of Wisconsin residents that clutter includes used electronics like computers, cell phones or TVs.
A 2010 DNR survey estimated that Wisconsin households had 7.4 million TVs, 16 percent of which were unused, and 4.3 million computers, 26 percent of which were unused.
While it may be tempting to toss the old cell phones in the trash with the rest of the basement junk, or haul the TV to the curb, state law bans most electronics from Wisconsin's landfills and incinerators. Instead, residents can use E-Cycle Wisconsin, a DNR-managed program funded by electronics manufacturers, to recycle electronics at more than 400 locations around the state.
Recently, the DNR asked Wisconsin landfill and solid waste transfer station operators if the 2010 ban appears to be reducing the amount of e-waste that shows up on their properties. While all operators said they see fewer electronics than before the ban, 50 percent are still having electronics abandoned at their facilities and 80 percent still see electronics arrive in garbage loads at least once or twice a month.
"It's unfortunate that these valuable materials are being wasted," said Sarah Murray, DNR E-Cycle Wisconsin coordinator. "The steel, aluminum, plastic and precious metals inside our electronics are commodities that have real value if properly recycled. They do nothing for us in landfills."
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