What to Do With Your Old Electronics

If Santa upgraded your computer or TV this year, he's also leaving you with a decision about what to do with your old equipment. 's GEO Club is joining with AERC in Allentown to take it off your hands 9 a.m.-noon Saturday, Jan. 7 at the high school parking lot behind the auditorium. 

Most of the electronic items, including televisions, are free to recycle, according to the Parkland District web site. There will be a charge to recycle fluorescent or Hg containing lamps -- 25 cents each; batteries -- 75 cents a pound; and ballasts and mercury -- on a case by case basis. 

Additionally the first 100 cars will receive a free CFL bulb courtesy of PPL. 

But if you miss that, there are other options. First, here's the problem: Local garbage collections and recycling depots do not take electronics because of the mercury, lead and other contaminants contained in the equipment. This is called "e-waste," and it's piling up in basements and bedroom closets all over the country.

It requires special equipment to properly recycle computers and monitors. So, many municipalities sponsor events to collect old electronics to prevent them from being dumped at landfills, where they can leach poisons into the environment.

Lehigh County’s Department of Solid Waste Management uses AERC at 2591 Mitchell Ave. in Allentown as its electronics recycler. AERC is also on Pennsylvania's Department of Environmental Protection list of certified electronics recyclers.

AERC accepts items every Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The fees are $4 for computers and up to from $7.50 for old monitors depending on the size.

Send it Back

Another alternative is to check with the manufacturer. Many companies that sell or make cell-phones and computers also have free or low cost programs to take back your old stuff: Apple, AT&T,Best Buy, Dell, eBay, Hewlett-Packard, LG, Motorola, NEC, Nokia, Office Depot,Samsung, Sony, Sprint, Staples, T-Mobile, Toshiba and Verizon.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's "Plug in to eCycling" program, only 15 percent to 20 percent of retired computer's, TVs, cell phones and other electronic devices are being recycled. The rest are disposed of illegally or are piling up in people's homes.

So, one last alternative is to donate your computer.

Donate It

The EPA, however, recommends that you donate your equipment to a refurbisher first, so the hard drives are scrubbed and the equipment can be updated enough for use in schools or community organizations.

Here are some programs suggested by the EPA that help you safely donate your used electronics:EcoSquid, Earth 911, My Green Electronics, Electronic Industries Alliance's Consumer Education Initiative, TechSoup and Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation (RBRC).

In the spirit of recycling, the article was updated from the version we ran last year.

Related Topics: Department of Environmental Protection, Parkland GEO Club, Recycling, and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency