Article Contributed on: 3/25/2008 1:36:59 PM
Electronic equipment is everywhere; we rely on it for communication, entertainment, education and survival. When it breaks or becomes outdated, we have an urge to throw it away, but the trashcan is no place for old electronics.
A computer monitor contains as much as eight pounds of lead, according to Bruce Glenn, who coordinating the fifth annual electronic waste recycling day on May 3 at Evergreen's Church of the Hills on Buffalo Park Road. From 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., residents are welcome to bring their old electronics and give them to Guaranteed Recycling Xperts (GRX), who will be on site.
GRX sorts the equipment, dismantles as much of it as possible and sends the glass, plastics and metals to other companies as raw materials for new manufacturing. They track all of the material to guarantee it doesn't find its way to developing countries such as China, Bangladesh and India where it may be buried, burned or dismantled unsafely.
This electronic waste, or e-waste, contains lead, chromium, phosphorous, lithium and poly carbons that can leach into groundwater and release toxins when burned or incinerated.
"The computer on my desk is a great tool," said Evergreen Fire/Rescue Community Educator Einar Jensen, "but it's also a hazardous material. Laws govern the disposal of hazardous materials to keep emergency responders, residents and the environment safe."
For that reason, Evergreen Fire/Rescue again has joined the Wild Rose Congregational Church and new partner Church of the Hills to sponsor an Electronics Recycling Day.
Recycling the old equipment is not free; small fees cover the costs of sorting, transport, sorting some more and recycling the materials:
• Television - $1 per diagonal inch
• Monitor - $10
• FAX/Scanner/Copier - $10
• Laptop - $5
• Hard drive - $5
• Printer - $5
• Radio - $5
• Microwave - $5
• DVD/VCR - $5
• Answering machine - $3
• Keyboard - $2
• Mouse - $2
• Other items - 35 cents per pound
Cell phones will be accepted free of charge.
Large appliance will not be accepted. Contact GRX directly at 720-377-7700 about these larger items.
Last year's e-waste recycling event netted 27,000 pounds of unwanted electronics: 222 monitors, 173 computers, 166 keyboards, 149 printers, 74 televisions, 70 VCRs and DVD players, 41 radios, 41 microwaves, 33 answering machines, 30 scanners and seven fax machines. Despite that success, Glenn believes more waste remains in Evergreen.
GRX also guarantees to render the data on computers useless.
"Instead of dumping your electronic waste illegally and putting all of us at risk," Jensen said, "recycle it May 3 at the Church of the Hills."
Contact Glenn at 303-674-3922 or Jan Aitken 303-674-1535 for information.