| Who: | City of GF, Benefis, GF Clinic, COT, North Country Media, D.A. Davidson, Malmstrom, Montana DEQ |
|---|---|
| What: | "E-rase your E-Waste!" electronics recycling event |
| When: | Saturday, September 6, 9am - 2pm |
| Where: | College of Technology (2100 16th Ave S) |
| Why: | A chance to recycle bulky, environmentally hazardous, electronics and prevent them from damaging our environment |
E-rase your E-waste! is coming to Great Falls on Saturday, September 6, from 9 am to 2 pm at Great Falls College of Technology, 2100 16th Ave S.
This special event provides a great opportunity for residents to recycle old televisions, computers and other household electronic equipment at reduced prices.
The City of Great Falls is partnering with Benefis Healthcare, Great Falls Clinic, College of Technology, North Country Media, D.A. Davidson, Malmstrom AFB and the Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to offer discounted recycling fees during this special event.
Businesses are encouraged to recycle their electronics by scheduling appointments for pickup the week prior to the event. Businesses can contact Tatooine Electronics. Inc. at 406-861-4920 to arrange electronics recycling or call 406-771-1401 for more information.
The City of Great Falls is offering this electronics collection event to give residents and businesses an opportunity to recycle electronics and keep these bulky, sometimes hazardous waste-containing, items out of the landfill.
E-waste is a popular, informal name for electronic products nearing the end of their "useful life." Computers, televisions, VCRs, stereos, copiers, mobile phones and fax machines are common electronic products and make up one of the fastest growing segments of our nation's waste stream. The National Safety Council projects that nearly 250 million computers will become obsolete in the next five years and mobile phones are being discarded at a rate of 130 million per year.
Computer monitors and older TV picture tubes contain an average of four pounds of lead and require special handling at the end of their lives. In addition to lead, electronics can contain chromium, cadmium, mercury, beryllium, nickel, zinc, and brominated flame retardants, presenting problems if not disposed of properly. Extending the life of your electronics or donating your most up-to-date and working electronics can save you money and save valuable resources. Safely recycling outdated electronics can promote the safe management of hazardous components and supports the recovery and reuse of valuable materials.
Using proper disposal methods helps to keep harmful metals such as the lead found in computer monitors out of landfills, which is also resulting in the protection of nearby ground water supplies from potential metal contamination from landfill leachate. Electronic products that can be reused, result in less energy being required to produce new ones and this saves energy and reduces pollution. Sometimes recycling computers can create a supply of parts and materials that can be used on the manufacture of new products or to refurbish older ones.
(Source: USDA Agricultural Research Service)
Before recycling your computer equipment, remember to have your hard drive(s) cleaned. Just deleting data/files will not make your information inaccessible! Montana DEQ provides a list of cleaning software available for purchase or download.