Dive Brief:
- On Friday, New York City Department of Sanitation Commissioner Kathryn Garcia announced that sites in each borough will now accept electronic waste on Saturdays and on the last Friday of each month.
- Computers, TVs and other large and small e-waste products are now welcomed at these drop-off sites in response to a recent increase in the illegal dumping of electronics around the city. The increase in illegal dumping comes after the implementation of a ban which requires residents to keep electronics out of the regular trash, or face a $100 fine.
- Items will be accepted at sites that already accept latex paint, fluorescent bulbs and CFLs, motor oil, tires, alkaline as well as rechargeable batteries and car batteries. The five sites include: Hunts Point in the Bronx; Bensonhurst in Brooklyn; 74 Pike Slip in Manhattan; College Point in Queens; and a Staten Island site.
Dive Insight:
The city has pushed to keep electronics off the curb and out of landfill, posting disposal instructions and special e-cycling events on their website. It also launched e-cyleNYC, a free e-waste recycling service for residents of apartment buildings with at least 10 units. The city said it expected to collect 1.5 million pounds of e-waste this year from that program alone.
"We hope that the addition of electronics collection to special waste sites will provide an easy solution for residents to responsibly recycle their electronics," said Garcia in an announcement.
