MONROE - Televisions, computers, recorders and players, oh, my; and when it's too badly broken or outdated, what do you do with it?
Residents of Monroe recycled more than 6 tons of electronic waste in one year, October 2010 to 2011, through the city's e-waste recycling program.
Josh Montgomery, owner of Computer Heroes, Inc. in Monroe, working as a collection site for an Illinois company, Vintage Tech Recyclers, collected more than 9 tons of e-waste in 2011.
And the Green County Solid Waste facility took in a massive 27 tons last year.
The grand total from just these three collections sites, 84,000 pounds, is part of the state's electronics recycling program, E-Cycle Wisconsin, begun two years ago.
E-Cycle Wisconsin has grown to become one of the most successful e-waste programs in the country, according to the Department of Natural Resources. Registered collectors took in more than 35 million pounds of old televisions, computers and other electronics from Wisconsin households and schools during the first year, from July 2010 to June 2011. That's equal to 6.2 pounds per person, one of the highest rates among states with electronics recycling laws. Of the 35 million pounds, about 1.5 million came from schools.
Wisconsin's electronics recycling law, passed in 2009, bans some electronics, like televisions and computers, from landfills while requiring electronics manufacturers to fund an electronics recycling program for households and schools.
To help ensure responsible recycling - and data collection on the program's performance - collectors and recyclers participating in the program must register with the DNR and meet certain standards.
The law banned electronics from Wisconsin landfills and incinerators beginning in September 2010.
The Green County Solid Waste facility charges 20 cents per pound for e-waste, according to Randy Thompson, manager. The charge is to cover the costs of weighing, shrink wrapping, palletizing and transporting the waste to a recycling center in Burlington.
"It's more of a service to the county than a source of revenue for the facility," Thompson added.
Computer Heroes, a computer and network services business in Monroe, doesn't charge anything for accepting electronic discards. In business since 1993, the company has accepted e-waste for about four years, most of it coming from city businesses and residents.
"It's free," Montgomery said, basically because its recycling center, Vintage Tech, doesn't charge Montgomery anything for picking up the waste.
Montgomery's only major cost - an inconvenience, really - is that he must store the items for up to three months, until Vintage Tech picks it up.
The City of Monroe charges 35 cents a pound for e-waste, because its recycling contractor, PKK Lighting, Middleton, charges the city that much.
The city also contracts PKK to pick up other hazardous waste items, such as batteries and fluorescent lights. The city collected 680 pounds of household batteries and 550 florescent bulbs from October 2010 to 2011, charging a recycling fee of $2.50 per pound for common batteries and cordless tool batteries, and $10 per pound for lithium batteries.
According to the DNR, the majority of collectors are local governments or for-profit businesses, though local governments decreased slightly and retailers or non-profits increased slightly during the second year of the program.
For more information on how to recycle electronic wastes, contact the collection site. City of Monroe Street Department, (608) 329-2492; Green County Solid Waste Management, (608) 897-8605; or Computer Heroes, Inc., (608) 329-4300.
Residents of Monroe recycled more than 6 tons of electronic waste in one year, October 2010 to 2011, through the city's e-waste recycling program.
Josh Montgomery, owner of Computer Heroes, Inc. in Monroe, working as a collection site for an Illinois company, Vintage Tech Recyclers, collected more than 9 tons of e-waste in 2011.
And the Green County Solid Waste facility took in a massive 27 tons last year.
The grand total from just these three collections sites, 84,000 pounds, is part of the state's electronics recycling program, E-Cycle Wisconsin, begun two years ago.
E-Cycle Wisconsin has grown to become one of the most successful e-waste programs in the country, according to the Department of Natural Resources. Registered collectors took in more than 35 million pounds of old televisions, computers and other electronics from Wisconsin households and schools during the first year, from July 2010 to June 2011. That's equal to 6.2 pounds per person, one of the highest rates among states with electronics recycling laws. Of the 35 million pounds, about 1.5 million came from schools.
Wisconsin's electronics recycling law, passed in 2009, bans some electronics, like televisions and computers, from landfills while requiring electronics manufacturers to fund an electronics recycling program for households and schools.
To help ensure responsible recycling - and data collection on the program's performance - collectors and recyclers participating in the program must register with the DNR and meet certain standards.
The law banned electronics from Wisconsin landfills and incinerators beginning in September 2010.
The Green County Solid Waste facility charges 20 cents per pound for e-waste, according to Randy Thompson, manager. The charge is to cover the costs of weighing, shrink wrapping, palletizing and transporting the waste to a recycling center in Burlington.
"It's more of a service to the county than a source of revenue for the facility," Thompson added.
Computer Heroes, a computer and network services business in Monroe, doesn't charge anything for accepting electronic discards. In business since 1993, the company has accepted e-waste for about four years, most of it coming from city businesses and residents.
"It's free," Montgomery said, basically because its recycling center, Vintage Tech, doesn't charge Montgomery anything for picking up the waste.
Montgomery's only major cost - an inconvenience, really - is that he must store the items for up to three months, until Vintage Tech picks it up.
The City of Monroe charges 35 cents a pound for e-waste, because its recycling contractor, PKK Lighting, Middleton, charges the city that much.
The city also contracts PKK to pick up other hazardous waste items, such as batteries and fluorescent lights. The city collected 680 pounds of household batteries and 550 florescent bulbs from October 2010 to 2011, charging a recycling fee of $2.50 per pound for common batteries and cordless tool batteries, and $10 per pound for lithium batteries.
According to the DNR, the majority of collectors are local governments or for-profit businesses, though local governments decreased slightly and retailers or non-profits increased slightly during the second year of the program.
For more information on how to recycle electronic wastes, contact the collection site. City of Monroe Street Department, (608) 329-2492; Green County Solid Waste Management, (608) 897-8605; or Computer Heroes, Inc., (608) 329-4300.