Old Electronics Easily Recyclable: 13WHAM Coverage
Last week, Mike Callan got a call from his father-in-law. “He had an old computer,” Callan said. “He wasn’t sure what to do with it, but didn’t want to just throw it away.”
It’s a problem–old electronics that collect dust. They can’t be simply thrown away–New York is one of 24 states that has banned them in landfills.
It makes sense, says Duane Beckett, president of Sunnking Electronics Recycling in Brockport. Old electronics can have a big impact on the environment.
“When you put it into the landfill – it takes up space,” Beckett said. “It doesn’t break down, or create methane, which can be used for electricity. It just sits there and goes to waste.”
Also, if they’re recycled, many parts can be reused or sold.
“We break the electronics down into plastics and metals,” Beckett said. “They’re all primary commodities: stainless steel, copper, aluminum, even gold.”
Right now, Sunnking — and other local companies collect most recyclables for free. “The only thing we’ve ever charged for is CRT,” Beckett said. CRT – short for cathode ray tube – is a vacuum tube made of leaded glass, used in older model televisions or computers.
But come April first, when New York’s recycling law begins, that charge will also disappear.
“It will allow John Q. Public to take their computer monitor, a notorious charge item, and be able to recycle that for free,” Beckett said.
The cost, Beckett says, will be passed on to the manufacturers. “Based on their market share, New York state will tell companies like Dell and Sony, ‘You’ve sold x-amount in New York state,’ so they’ll be on the hook for so many pounds of material.”
The state hopes the change will encourage even more people to recycle.
“I think people will do it,” Callan said. “I think people would be uncomfortable just throwing a computer out on the curb.”
For those who are concerned about personal information stored on computers, Sunnking shreds hard drives.
source: 13wham.com