Disposing of Household Wastes

Minnesota's Electronics Recycling Act

On May 8, 2007, Governor Pawlenty signed this new law for the collection and recycling of video display devices sold to households/consumers: televisions, computer monitors, and laptop computers.

Manufacturers of video display devices (VDD) must annually register and pay a fee to the state, collect and recycle VDD from households/consumers in Minnesota, and file a report detailing the results of their collections for each program year.

What to do with household wastes (especially electronics) that don't belong in the trash

Disposing of electronic products such as cell phones, radios, TVs, VCRs and computers isn't as easy as it used to be. Goodwill and Salvation Army and other Relief organizations generally will not accept these items anymore. According to Earth911, electronic waste is growing at three times the rate of other municipal waste and computers, cellular phones, TVs, and other similar items can and should be donated or recycled. This keeps their heavy metals such as lead, mercury, copper, silver and others that can be toxic out of landfills and out of our surface and groundwaters.

Here are some excerpts from the Minnesota Office of Environmental Assistance website:

In 1998 alone, an estimated 35 million personal computers were sold in the U.S. Another 20.6 million PCs became obsolete.
Electronic and electrical products may contain hazardous or toxic materials which can cause an environmental problem if discarded in the trash.
Computer monitors and televisions are hazardous because they contain significant amounts of lead.
Printed circuit boards contain hazardous metals such as lead, chromium, cadmium and mercury, with significant variation depending on the board.
Batteries in electronic and electrical products may contain lead, mercury and cadmium.
Mercury-containing components like switches and relays are found in some electronic and electrical products.
PCBs may be found in televisions and computers made before the early 1980s.

Regional electronic waste recyclers

If you are outside of our area, you can get information at:

MINNESOTA:
		Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Minnesota Recycled Products Directory Recycling or solid waste management in your Minnesota county
	North Shore:
	Grand Marais MN [also see: MPCA]
	Duluth Area:
		Best Buy 5105 Burning Tree Rd Duluth, MN 55811 218-722-8767 Info here
		Western Lake Superior Sanitary District Materials Recovery Center Old Rice Lake Road Landfill Site Corner of Rice Lake and Ridgeview Road Phone: (218)722-0761 for pre-recorded messages or press “0" (during business hours) to talk to some really helpful people. Visit the Materials Recovery Center website for more information or to download their brochure.
		University folks should check with Environmental Health & Safety about old electronics. Go here for details or call the UMD Environmental Health and Safety Office at (218) 726-6764. Here's some more info on recycling at UMD.
WISCONSIN:
		How to recycle electronics in Wisconsin
	Superior Area:
		Afterlife Electronics Graveyard 915 John Ave Superior Wisconsin 54880 phone: (715) 392-2350
		Superior Recycling Program
		Waste Management Recycle America A Subsidiary of Waste Management, Inc. 1425 Oaks Avenue - (Just over the Bong bridge) Superior, WI 54880 Phone: (715) 394-2174 Fax: (715) 394-2174 http://www.recycleamerica.com Drop-off Hours: M-F 8:00 to 4:00 Commercial Pick-ups available All e-waste is processed in the U.S. Our Minneapolis E-Waste Recycling Plant is ISO 9001 and 14001 Certified Bring your unwanted Sony product to the Waste Management eCycling drop-off center and recycle it for free.
	South Shore:
	Ashland

For more information about recycling electronics check out:

www.Earth911.org (or call 1-800-CLEANUP) . Type in your zipcode for specific information for your region or just browse to get general information about how to reduce your imprint on your watershed and airshed.

Electronics Industry Association, Minnesota Electronics Industry Association, Wisconsin US EPA Sustainable Management of Electronics