Several Butler Township residents have been taking advantage of the new available – and totally free – option to recycle electronics and hazardous household waste such as batteries, phones, and TVs. Waste Electronic and Electrical Equipment is often always a grey area for people when the product comes to the end of its lifecycle. Many Americans don’t know the correct way to dispose of these items and they often end in landfills when they could be recycled.
Fewer still know that some of their broken-down items can be repaired and given a new lease of life, if they can find the best cell phone repair parts then the only thing that needs recycling is the broken parts, which further reduces waste. This new recycling option is indeed a promising step in reducing the amount of product that goes to landfills and it is hoped that several more green initiatives follow.
So far the scheme appears to be doing well. During the first quarter of this year, over five tons of waste was collected- including more than four tons of TVs, 280 pounds of computers, and 314 pounds of monitors, according to data released by the township on Monday. More than 500 pounds of paint was also collected during the same time period. It’s not surprising with so much being recycled, especially with more and more places offering a deal on a new monitor, allowing people to get rid of their old one.
Butler Township Manager Tom Knights says this is a result of him being able to negotiate this electronics service into the township’s new contract with Waste Management.
“Aside from regular required recycling- which is metals like aluminium, steel cans and some plastics – I negotiated into this contract an ‘enhanced recycling’ option,” Knights said in an interview Tuesday. “That means, at no additional monthly fee, residents are able to recycle electronics and household hazardous waste- including pesticides, herbicides, stains and paints.”
Other items include some petroleum products. Pharmaceuticals cannot be recycled.
There is a bit of a process involved to recycle the electronics and hazardous waste. You call 1-800-449-7587 and tell the representative what you would like to recycle, and the company will send an appropriate container to you. You then set that container out on the curb.
The entire process takes about two weeks, and you can only recycle one electronics item at a time.
Other collections will charge by the pound to recycle electronics and other hazardous waste.
