On January 1, 2010 Lane County became a key player in the Oregon E-Cycles Program, which is financed by electronics manufacturing companies and mandated by the state’s new Electronics Recycling Law (ORS 459A.300-.365). The program allows residents to safely dispose of electronic waste – unwanted televisions (TVs), computers and monitors – for FREE at approved collection sites throughout the state.
The Oregon law was passed to:
- Protect health and environment.
- Conserve natural resources.
- Reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
However, an unforeseen backlash is confounding Lane County Nuisance Abatement Program officials: They are seeing a dramatic increase in the illegal disposal of electronic waste in public areas such as roadsides and riverbeds.
Before this law was passed, residents put unwanted electronics at their curbs to be picked up on trash day. Now residents have to bring the electronics to specified collection sites in order to dispose of them. Officials believe that the increase in illegal disposal activity may be tied to the new law.
Some of these illegal dumpsites have reportedly contained as many as six to eight TVs, computers and monitors. According to Carolyn Young, a specialist from Lane County’s Nuisance Abatement Program, “It’s dramatically worse for the environment for these materials to be scattered on roadside. Lead from broken picture tubes could then settle in local waterways to contaminate fish and recreation areas.”
According to the State of Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, electronics contain toxic substances such as lead, cadmium and mercury. If electronics are not properly disposed of these substances can seep into the soil and ground water polluting hundreds of gallons of water and acres of land.
On the other hand, if electronics are safely discarded, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says that recycling 1 million computers annually can reduce greenhouse gases to a level that’s equivalent to taking 17,000 cars off the road each year.
Disposing of electronics in non-approved areas is a punishable offense and anyone who knowingly violates the new law could be fined up to $500 per item says Kathy Kiwala, Oregon E-Cycles project lead. If a resident witnesses illegal dumping activity or finds an illegal dump site, he/she should contact the Lane County Police Department at 541.682.4150.
Community involvement and support are crucial to the success of the E-Cycles program. For more information about the Oregon E-Cycles program or to find an approved collection site near you, visit the website or send an email.
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Can there a cooperative effort between the collection services, the recycling entities and the gov’t agencies? I’m picturing a system similar to recycling and yard debris where people can leave the electronics next to their garbage (as before) which are collected by the garbage services in a separate vehicle as they do for recycling and yard waste. They are brought back to the central receiving station and the recycling entities come and pick them up. This service could be done only once a month or once quarterly depending on just how many electronics we are talking about here.