Recyling/e-cycling good, new alternative

Turning in your unwanted electronics for recycling will help the environment in a big way—and it’s easy to do. Washington’s E-Cycle program provides a convenient way for everyone in to return electronics for recycling. When electronics are properly recycled resources are saved, toxic materials are kept out of our environment, and everyone benefits. Many electronics, especially TVs and computers, contain toxic materials such as lead, cadmium and mercury. Reusing and properly recycling electronics keeps these toxic materials out of our landfills and incinerators and also recovers valuable resources. Through the E-Cycle Washington program, households, small businesses, schools, small governments, special purpose districts, and charities can recycle electronic products free of charge. Electronics eligible for free recycling under this program include televisions, computers, computer monitors and portable or laptop computers. (Computer peripherals such as keyboards, mouse devices and printers aren’t included in this program.) Many other electronics can and should be recycled. You may need to pay a fee to recycle items the E-Cycle Washington program doesn’t cover. Recycling locations for covered electronic products may also take peripherals (such as mice, keyboards, speakers, printers, and scanners), cell phones, MP3 players, game consoles, and DVD players. In the Spokane area, more than 20 drop-off centers have been approved to recycle electronics. The approval ensures that recycling is done in the right way to protect the environment. Call 1-800-RECYCLE or visit 1800recycle.wa.gov to find local electronic product recycling services near you.