Hazardous Waste/Electronics Collection
Why It's Important
In today's world, people are buying more and more electronic products than ever before. Newer, faster technology is being introduced every day, which results in constant upgrades of electronic equipment. This means that the now-obsolete models of computers, mobile phones and gaming systems are discarded on a regular basis. Electronic waste or e-waste is a term used to describe these now-undesirable electronic products.
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Many old electronic devices contain toxic substances that include lead, mercury, cadmium, beryllium, polyvinyl chloride, and chromium. When e-waste is tossed into landfills, these chemicals leach into the soil, polluting the ground and surface water as well as the air.
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Electronics are made of components that contain valuable raw materials. Recycling old devices saves energy. It also means that fewer raw materials need to be drawn from nature to create new devices.
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Reusing old devices prevents e-waste by keeping it out of landfills. It also saves the resources used to recycle them. Additionally, reusing electronics helps other, less fortunate people in your community. So, take your old devices to be refurbished (if possible) and give them a new life.
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Finally, recycling saves the raw materials that can be repurposed by producing new devices. As a result, energy is saved, and pollution is reduced.
A lot of recyclable materials come from electronics. As an example, for every million cell phones recycled, materials recovered include:
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35,000 pounds of copper
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772 pounds of silver
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75 pounds of gold
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35 pounds of palladium
Collections
To date, the District has collected over 133,000 pounds of TV’s of all types, cell phones, desktop/laptop computers, monitors, desktop scanners and printers, keyboards, mice, tablets, gaming consoles, DVD players, VCR’s, and microwaves.
Special thanks to the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe. Their continued support allows us to provide these collections free of charge to the residents of Isabella County.
Accepted Items
The District accepts the following items:
Desktop and laptop computers, tablets, computer monitors, televisions (all types), desktop printers, microwaves, desktop fax machines, computer keyboards/mice, gaming consoles, DVD players, VCR’s, desktop scanners, cell phones, and microwaves.
Unacceptable Items
The District does not accept the following items:
Vacuums, coffee makers, toasters, mixers, lamps, irons, blow dryers or curling irons.
