Disposing of Household Wastes

What to do with household wastes (especially electronics) that don't belong in the trash

Disposing of electronic products such as cell phones, radios, TVs, VCRs and computers isn't as easy as it used to be. Goodwill and Salvation Army and other Relief organizations generally will not accept these items anymore. According to Earth911, electronic waste is growing at three times the rate of other municipal waste and computers, cellular phones, TVs, and other similar items can and should be donated or recycled. This keeps their heavy metals such as lead, mercury, copper, silver and others that can be toxic out of landfills and out of our surface and groundwaters.

Here are some excerpts from the Minnesota Office of Environmental Assistance website:

• In 1998 alone, an estimated 35 million personal computers were sold in the U.S. Another 20.6 million PCs became obsolete.
• Electronic and electrical products may contain hazardous or toxic materials which can cause an environmental problem if discarded in the trash.
• Computer monitors and televisions are hazardous because they contain significant amounts of lead.
• Printed circuit boards contain hazardous metals such as lead, chromium, cadmium and mercury, with significant variation depending on the board.
• Batteries in electronic and electrical products may contain lead, mercury and cadmium.
  Mercury-containing components like switches and relays are found in some electronic and electrical products.
• PCBs may be found in televisions and computers made before the early 1980s.

Regional electronic waste recyclers

MINNESOTA:
		Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Minnesota Recycled Products Directory Recycling or solid waste management in your Minnesota county
	North Shore:
	Grand Marais MN    [also see: MPCA] Silver Bay MN    [also see: MPCA]       Two Harbors MN    [also see: MPCA]
	Duluth Area:
		Howard Waste Paper, Inc 414 S 59th Ave West, Duluth Phone:(218) 628-2388 http://howardwaste.uswestdex.com/
		John's Twin Ports Recycling 614 1/2 East 1st Street Duluth, MN 55802 Phone: (218) 727-3185 Fax: (218) 624-9991 http://www.johnstwinportsrecycling.com/ email: info@johnstwinportsrecycling.com
		Lifecyclers Electronics Recycling 212 N 40 Ave West, Duluth Phone: (218) 628-9677 Fax: (218) 628-7140 http://www.lifecyclers.org/ email: webmaster@lifecyclers.org
		Western Lake Superior Sanitary District Materials Recovery Center Old Rice Lake Road Landfill Site Corner of Rice Lake and Ridgeview Road Phone: (218)722-0761 for pre-recorded messages or press “0" (during business hours) to talk to some really helpful people. Visit the Materials Recovery Center website for more information or to download their brochure.
		University folks should check with Environmental Health & Safety about old electronics. At the moment, UMD trucks its recyclable electronics down to UM-Twin Cities where it is sent to an authorized recycler. Go here for details or call the UMD Environmental Health and Safety Office at (218) 726-7273.
WISCONSIN:
		Wisconsin Recycling Markets Directory and Prices Recycling Quick Reference WI Recycling contacts
	Superior Area:
		City of Superior Environmental Services
		Waste Management Recycle America A Subsidiary of Waste Management, Inc. 1425 Oaks Avenue - (Just over the Bong bridge) Superior, WI 54880 Phone: (715) 394-2174 Fax: (715) 394-2174 http://www.recycleamerica.com email: eCycling@wm.com Drop-off Hours: M-F 8:00 to 4:00 Commercial Pick-ups available All e-waste is processed in the U.S. Our Minneapolis E-Waste Recycling Plant is ISO 9001 and 14001 Certified Bring your unwanted Sony product to the Waste Management eCycling drop-off center and recycle it for free.
	South Shore:
	Ashland Other: Waste Management Program Contact List

For more information about recycling electronics check out:

www.Earth911.org (or call 1-800-CLEANUP) . Type in your zipcode for specific information for your region or just browse to get general information about how to reduce your imprint on your watershed and airshed.

Minnesota Office of Environmental Assistance

Electronics Industry Association, Minnesota

Electronics Industry Association, Wisconsin

US EPA Resource Conservation website