Electronics Recycling

As electronic equipment becomes more affordable, households are acquiring increasing numbers of electronic devices. Common household electronics include computers, televisions, VCRs, audio equipment, cellular telephones and cordless telephones.

Household electronics often contain hazardous materials such as lead, mercury, and PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls). When electronics are disposed of in the waste stream (for example, when they are thrown out with other garbage), these hazardous materials can contaminate the air, soil and water. When electronics are recycled, however, they are disassembled and any hazardous materials they contain are reprocessed and reused in an environmentally-responsible manner.

DOE holds electronic recycling (“e-cycling”) events twice annually to collect, reuse when possible and recycle household electronics. Households are welcome to bring unwanted, unused or obsolete equipment—computers, audio/visual equipment, stereos, televisions, VCRs, video game players, and cell and cordless phones—for reuse and recycling. Commercial and industrial electronics, as well as larger household electronics, such as air conditioners, dehumidifiers and large home appliances, are not accepted at these events.

Recent DOE e-cycling events…

• Recycled 32,629 lbs. of electronics from 380 households and donated 139 pieces of reusable technology to the Infinitec Assistive Technology Exchange Network (May 17, 2003).
• Recycled 75,808 lbs. of material from 1,171 households and donated 63 pieces of reusable technology to the Infinitec Assistive Technology Exchange Network (October 25, 2003).
• Recycled 77,387 lbs. of electronics from 1,060 households and donated 87 pieces of reusable technology to the Infinitec Assistive Technology Exchange Network (April 3, 2004).

DOE is not the only source of electronics recycling. The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) has a fact sheet that covers this topic in more detail and provides names and addresses of many facilities throughout the Midwest that recycle electronic equipment. Illinois Earth 911 also provides recycling information for many types of electronics. And CollectiveGood.com provides information about how you can recycle mobile phones, pagers and PDAs. Computers for Schools is a non-profit organization committed to a two-fold posture of bridging the digital divide and supporting environmental responsibility through the refreshment of prematurely retired computer systems.

For additional information about DOE’s e-cycling program, contact Ivan Capifali at (312) 742-4805.