e-Recycling Gets a New Year Boost in North West
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California
on 01. 5.09

Background photo via Martin Kingsley
Starting with the new year, Oregon and Washington are launching e-cycling programs to help keep electronics out of landfills.
As of January 1, it is free to drop off items like computers and TVs at permanent collection sites.
Read on to see where these are located, and how to find local sites across the US.
Oregon e-Cycles has a great website up for consumers to help guide them through the whys and hows of e-cycling. If you live in the area, simply type in your zip code and you're given a listing of local collection points. Oregon has another item that will launch next New Year's Day: on January 1, 2010, disposal of computers, monitors and TVs will be banned.
Also launching on this New Years Day was Washington's new program letting people drop off certain e-waste items for free. They too have a search database for finding a local drop-off point, as well as a call-in hotline.
These free programs are a great deal, considering what recycling facilities are going through as old TVs hit the curb thanks to the digital switch. For example, the North Wake facility in North Carolina has collected 28,000 lbs of TVs, which adds up to 100 times the usual amount they collect.
And not many TV manufacturers are stepping up to help with take-back programs.
If you'd like to find out what e-cycling locations and events are in your area, check out our guide to recycling resources.
More on e-Cycling:
Consumer Guides for E-Cycling After the Holidays
Electronics TakeBack Coalition Grades TV Makers on Recycling
e-Stewards Announces Big News for e-Waste Recyclers
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All good stuff but it would be good to see a little more reuse before recycling...