Electronics must be discarded responsibly

•

As our society continues to embrace electronic technologies, there is an increasing need for responsible disposal and recovery of these discarded resources. In the absence of federal standards, and only a minority of states implementing disposal standards, e-waste makes its way into landfills, black markets, and to impoverished nations who are not equipped to safely dispose of the toxic components. However, with a ban on e-waste in the landfills and a state program for e-waste collection, Oregon and the Rogue Valley in particular, are leading the charge on proper disposal and recovery of e-waste.

Rogue Disposal (Table Rock Road Transfer Station), Recology (Valley View Transfer Station) and Goodwill, in partnership with ECS Refining, offer collection for the following electronic devices currently free of charge (seven or fewer devices):

  • Computer monitors (CRT or Flat Panel-screen size 14″ or larger)*
  • Computer towers with or without hard drives*
  • Televisions (includes wood consoles and projection TV’s)*
  • Computer peripherals (including scanners, backups, power supplies, cables, etc.)
  • Keyboards and mouse
  • Large copiers
  • Microwaves
  • Printers and scanners (desktop-size)
  • Printers and scanners (free-standing size)
  • Stereo systems
  • VCR or DVD systems

*Indicates items accepted at no charge under the state program

ECS has the ability to process 30,000 pounds of electronic products per hour. An industry leader and voluntary participant in the e-Steward program, ECS guarantees environmentally safe recycling of computer products and the secure destruction of confidential data.

Have an old hard drive you would like destroyed?
In this day and age of Identify Theft, you can take your old hard drive to Rogue Shred at 8001 Table Rock Road in White City. It is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. The cost is $10 per hard drive. The hard drive will be hole punched to render it inoperable and then it is securely stored on site before being collected by ECS for destruction.

Note about “Wishful Recycling”
Although gathering every scrap of plastic and putting it in the recycling bin may make us feel like super stewards of our resources, this “wishful recycling” does not work. Some plastics, like plastic bags for instance, are in fact super villains of the recycling center. These bags and plastic films get wrapped around the steel discs of the sort machine like hair caught in the brush of your vacuum cleaner. It takes nearly an hour at the end of every shift to stop the machines and cut the bags free. The employees tasked with this job have to dress in protective clothing due to the danger in crawling into these machines. Additionally, things like plastic lids can get blown into what should be a clean stream of paper and contaminate the entire load rendering it useless. Please be a super recycler and keep those unwanted plastics out of the bin!

Adrienne Kimmy
EarthKeepers