It appears that some of us have recently been lured by giant yet thin, flat screen, space-saving, televisions (especially with the upcoming changes to digital cable). If you are one of those folks who recently turned-in the old dial TV for a shiny new TV but still has the old one sitting in the basement (or on the way to the curb), now is the time to send it to a better place!
Older televisions can contain up to four pounds of lead, so please don’t just send them to landfills!
The student club, the Geosciences Association of MCC, in cooperation with Maven Technologies, is conducting an electronic recycling event on Friday, November 7th from 9AM to 7PM in Lot-M1. You can drive up with your old TV (or any of the electronic items listed below), drop it off (there is a requested donation of $5 for each TV and computer monitor) and be on your way!
Besides the lead in TVs (and computer monitors), here are some additional reasons to recycle electronics:
1. Only about 10% of electronics are recycled in the U.S. per year (according to the Environmental Protection Agency – EPA) which leads to millions of tons being put into landfills each year.
2. 70% of toxic wastes in landfills come from breakdown electronics which releases carcinogenic metals such as lead, mercury, arsenic and cadmium into the air, groundwater and soil.
3. Recycling and re-using electronic materials means there will be a decreased need for removal of metallic and non-metallic raw resources which means less alteration of the Earth’s surface and shallow interior due mining and fewer impacts of mining like air, soil and water pollution.
4. 90% of a computer’s content (metals, non-metals/plastics) can be recycled or re-used!
5. The production of new electronics requires more energy, primarily obtained by the burning of fossil fuels resulting in the release of greenhouse gases as well as air, soil and water pollution, than recycling and re-using old ones.
This e-recycling event is also a fundraiser for the Geosciences Association of MCC, so any donations will be happily accepted! A portion of the donations will be given to Foodlink, a charity dedicated to providing food to local emergency shelters, soup kitchens, food pantries, day care providers and group homes.
Recyclable items include: Computers, Laptops, Modems, Servers, Peripherals, Cell Phones, Fax Machines, Typewriters, Televisions, CD Players, Audio/Video/Copier/Testing/Measurement and Laboratory Equipment, Telecommunications/Networking and Storage Equipment, GPS Units
NO refrigerators, auto batteries, microwaves or other household appliances!
Thanks for your participation!
Jessica Barone
Chemistry/Geosciences
10/23/2008 |