Our view: Turnout for electronics event spurs more plans

Whoa! Talk about pent-up demand.

On Saturday, almost 2,000 people pulled up to Huppin’s Warehouse and dropped off about 175,000 pounds of used electronics, including old televisions, computers and videocassette recorders. Some people waited for more than two hours to unload their e-junk, which will be shipped to Seattle, where 90 percent of it will be recycled.

Community recycling events like this have been held across the state and with similar popularity.

These collections are a harbinger of what is likely to happen when a new state recycling law kicks in this January. Under the law, residents and small businesses will be able to drop off recyclable electronics for free. The costs – approximately $8 million annually – will be spread among electronics manufacturers.

On Friday, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released guidelines for the proper way to run environmentally safe recycling centers. That’s important, because some recycled materials are shipped overseas and processed in unsound ways.

Spokane’s recycling event, which was also sponsored by the Sony Corp., Waste Management Inc. and The Spokesman-Review, was so popular that some people had to be turned away because of a lack of capacity. The best course now is to hold on to those old electronics until the first of the year. Huppin’s is thinking about a repeat in the spring, or you’ll be able to dial (800) RECYCLE to find a convenient drop-off location. Goodwill Industries will be one participant.

Dumping electronics at landfills poses dangers for the environment. E-waste harbors chemicals such as lead, mercury and cadmium, which can be toxic in small doses. This hazard coupled with the sheer volume of electronics per household provided the impetus for the recycling law.

Currently, people looking to dump their old monitors, laptops and other electronics don’t have good choices. Some stores take the junk and recycle the parts, but the demand to unload unwanted electronics has outpaced the stores’ capacity to receive them. Plus, the cost of recycling is borne by the customer, which discourages the best choice for disposal.

Government has been slow to plug into the demand for the recycling of e-waste. But with the new state law, Washingtonians will be able to dump their electronic garbage with a clean conscience.