How do you dispose of your old electronics?
Posted at 5:00 AM on January 7, 2011
by Eric Ringham
(29 Comments)
Filed under: Economy, Environment/Energy, Science/Technology
Americans discard tons of electronic gear and gadgetry every year, and only a fraction of that e-waste is recovered through recycling. Today's Question: How do you dispose of your old electronics?
Comments (29)
I bring mine to the Scott County hazardous waste recycling center ( www.co.scott.mn.us/HHW ). They charge a low fee and recycle the items properly. Clean garage and clear conscience....a great combo for just a few dollars!
I'm storing them all in my basement until the price of the raw materials rises high enough that it's worth selling them.
I use the Ramsey county web-site for household waste - they have really nice A-Z list items and of where to get rid of them .... I like the idea that more things are being re-processed fo sue in our economy than being buried in a dead-end land fill.
I take my stuff to Asset Recovery in St. Paul because they abide by the BAN accords for safe disposal/dismantling of electronics. Nothing goes overseas to become toxic waste over there.
I also make sure to recycle kids toys and those speakers and batteries from greeting cards that play sound. Those button batteries in the cards contain lithium.
I run a small business, and we have a membership with Oceantech recycling in Minneapolis. We chose that because they offer pickups from our location because I don't have time to drive my electronics all over! Not to mention that my back doesn't appreciate my lifting all that heavy stuff.
I haven't yet, I've only donated usable computer parts to Free Geek. I plan to use good comments here to help me decide for recycling future electronic trash problems.
Within 10 years of legalizing and promoting the global growth of cannabis/hemp/ganja (the world's most useful and versatile plant) for every good purpose, I believe global resonant telepathy will make synchronicity the standard time zone. This will make most hardware obsolete.
:)
My husband LOVES to recycle electronics. I shudder to think of the potential toxic waste dump in our basement and garage ;-) However, he and my 14 yr old son spend lots of nights bonding while pulling apart all types of machines and sorting components to take to various recycle/metal shops. It takes a lot of small parts to make any money off this, but it's the physical work and getting to see the guts of stuff that they seem to like. I'm tempted to include our address for those looking to dump old computers, printers, and other electronics, but don't know if I should... ;-) Maybe we'll add it later!
I live in Washington County. Washington County has numerous recycling facilities, including one in Woodbury, near Afton. The recycling facility accepts nearly everything from old TV's to Christmas Trees (though they charge for Christmas Trees). I recently recycled an old TV, a computer monitor, a computer, and some speakers. It feels nice to recycle those types of items. I'm glad they didn't end up in a landfill!
Dispose?! Ask my wife about the electronics graveyard in my basement. I refuse to just dump them irresponsibly, and its not that easy to get to the intermittent disposal events.
I take them to a disposal site and pay for the disposal. I recently took a 13 inch color tv to a site and it cost 18.00 dollars to dispose of it.
LLving on a gravel road in rural Minnesota woods, I have found computer terminals, stereo equipment and televisions alongside the road. MN requires that this equipment be disposed of and the payments are high, many ppeople don't have the money or are cheap and are thowing it out. The cost of disposal should be built into the item at purchase and venders shoud be required to take old items, much like car batteries.
I live in Bloomington and the recycle center here accepts electronics and appliances. Certain items will cost you a small fee $15, $20 or so. Otherwise you just have to show proof that you are a Bloomington resident.
I've recycled a couple of computers and a monitor at Best Buy. The computers were free and the monitor cost $10; however, they comped me with a $10 gift card. All in all, a pretty good deal.
I recently took a couple of used computers and monitors to Best Buy for recycling. They charge $10 for each monitor, but give you a $10 gift card in exchange.
I wish I had taken a photo of all my cell phones before I recycled them: from biggest to most petite!
I was able to recycle some old computers at work, but all other electronics and hazardous wastes get disposed of for free at the Hennepin County Recycling Center.
Like Nate, I also try to give away, reuse, recycle, donate, compost, and keep as much stuff as I can out of the waste stream so it doesn't cost us energy and money to burn it.
I'm surprised to hear that county household hazardous waste sites take them for others because Ramsey County certainly does not (we do have the worst disposal services of any county out there). So I take my tv's to Best Buy, and all other appliances I usually wait until our community Spring Clean Up event.
One other thought.
Honestly we need to do better recycling, not everyone is like me.
And Not sure why the Trash Collectors do not offer a bin for Electronics recycling, and maybe collect once a month if needed. And I do not see a issue that people should call if they need a pick up.
It will make it clear that the uninformed public needs to be active in the effort.
What is not recycled in electronics often contains large quantifies of mercury, lead, and worse that can and is contaminating our already dwindling water resources.
Sometimes if its not spelled out the public is never aware of the issues.
Electronics live a long life with my family, so they generally are picked for that quality.
When a computer passed on to the great big blue in the sky, parts are salvaged. And occasionally a new computer is resurrected from the ashed of its former glory.
I have often donated monitors, but that seems to be once every 10 years for me to do.
Generally I do not use cell phones. Hate the idea I can actually be bugged when ever someone wants. (Granted I have a emergency one that is turned off all the time.) Never mind I wish hunting season allowed bumping off the occasional driver talking on a cell phone while driving.
But honestly I recycle internally and what I can't recycle I donate, or dispose properly.
Since it is ILLEGAL to dispose of computers and electronics in landfills or incinerators due to the hazardous metals present in electronics one either has to find a needy individual or organization that can use the device, or take it to a recycler.
Best Buy will take electronics. They charge a fee to take monitors. County Hazardous Waste Recycling Sites will currently take all electronics free of charge.
One not too well know fact is that a private individual can take these electronics to any county's hazardous waste site and the site will take the electronics off your hands. They will ask for your ID, and if you do not live in that county there will be a charge to your county for the service.
The Dakota County Hazardous Waste Site is located on Dodd Road just north of Yankee Doodle Rd.
I donate them to CellPhonesForSoldiers.com and to CellPhonesForLife.org - both good causes.
I just wish I could donate more of my equipment
I burn them and put the remains in a pit on my neighbor’s property.
I am embarred to say that I throw them away! I wasn't aware of a way other than that to dispose of my old electronics.
i take them to a hennepin county recy cler
I work for Electronic Salvage Industries so I take my electronics into work. As a business you really should consider using a reputable because you receive a Certificate of Recycling. "Certificates of recycling and disposal are important, but you need to pick a computer recycling firm that can back up their liability protection claims.” Your Certificate of Recycling helps document that you did the right thing with your ewaste & provides you with a paper trail if your laptop should end up at the bottom of a lake.
Quite a few businesses I speak to are quite happy just to store their electronics until their space has overflowed. Others pass the buck on to charities, while I think it is noble in intention I worry about where the buck stops.
Most lay people tell me they just don’t know what to do with their electronics so they throw them in the trash or the closet.
My last concern is kid’s toys. Although allot of toys are electronic I think the public just thinks of them as toys so they don't think about it when they throw it in the trash.
Hennepin County Drop-Off Facility. I collect a few things (often for other extended family as well) and take a trip once or twice a year.
It's not as easy as the all-in-one recycling at my curb.
My wife and I were pleasantly surprised to see Best Buy's bins near the store entrances. The only downside is that we only go there maybe once a year (we shop online a lot). But, it may just get me back to the store. Or, at least the entrance.
In regards to recycling in general....it's a lot of work.
I take unused clothing items to thrift stores, household goods and building supplies to the Habitat re-use store (New Brighton), electronics and bigger junk to Hennepin county (Brooklyn Center), my Christmas tree back to seller recycled for biofuel (South Minneapolis), as well as composting food, having a garage sale once in a while, and perhaps forcing books on friends and family.
For those Minneapolitans who are envious, one-sort recycling really does help me recycle more.
We toss them in a junk drawer or closet. When all of those are full, we know it's time to move.
Two Twin Cities-based retailers offer excellent recycling programs.
At Target stores, you can bring in small electronics (cell phones, MP3 players, ink cartridges, etc.) and recycle them for free.
At Best Buy, you can bring in larger electronics. For a small fee, they will recycle larger items - and will present you with a store gift card in the amount of the fee.
We take 'em to the Hennepin County Drop-Off Facility.
I have always used the services offered by Hennepin County and it is generally free. Being an IT worker my company uses Recycle Technologies Inc.
The City I live has a good recycling program. Once or twice a year, I gather up the electronic stuff that doesn't work and drop it off. Small cost involved. Some things like toner cartridges and ink cartridges can be recycled at Best Buy, Office Max, or several other places.
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