Take Advantage Of Recycling Pgms.
Come New Year’s Day, New Yorkers will be prohibited from including most high-tech electronic devices with their regular household trash.
According to the Sanitation Department (DSNY) and the state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), the ban that takes effect on Jan. 1, 2015 is part of the NYS Electronic Equipment Recycling and Reuse Act that became law last year.
The prohibition reportedly aims to keep electronic items known to contain heavy metals and other hazardous materials out of the regular wastestream- which is either burned or placed in landfills and may, in the process, cause second-hand air and soil pollution.
The banned items include computers and related accessories, televisions, fax machines, VCRs, DVD players, printers/scanners, video game consoles, MP3 players, computer tablets and small servers. Residents are advised to drop them off at designated collection sites or arrange to have them privately and safely collected.
Batteries, light bulbs and traditional household appliances, however, are exempt from the law and may be included with regular garbage.
“This new law will help keep electronics and their potentially harmful components out of our waste stream,” Sanitation Commissioner Kathryn Garcia said in a statement last Tuesday, Dec. 9. “By recycling electronics, New Yorkers can help decrease disposal costs and protect the environment.”
“Incinerating electronic waste or disposing of it in a landfill can potentially put hazardous materials into the air and soil,” added DEC Commissioner Joseph Martens in a press release last Thursday, Dec. 11. “New York State law requires manufacturers to provide recycling of electronic waste for customers. Recycling electronics is one of the greatest gifts New Yorkers can give to the environment.”
The Sanitation Department and the DEC informed residents to take advantage of free recycling programs offered locally. Apartment buildings can enroll in the DSNY’s e-Cycle program, which arranges for free pickups of electronic waste.
Various retailers such as Best Buy and charities such as Goodwill and the Salvation Army also collect electronic waste. The DSNY and local elected officials also hold electronic recycling events across the five boroughs throughout the year.
For more information, visit www.nyc.gov/electronics.
