Electronic device recycling will be an all-year program

By ERICA BLAKE
BLADE STAFF WRITER
Article published Tuesday, April 11, 2006

Tom Kralovic looks at a load of refurbished computers picked up in Cleveland as part of the Lucas County Solid Waste Management District's electronics recycling program, which soon will be offered year-round. ( THE BLADE/JETTA FRASER )

Lucas County's annual electronics recycling event, which allowed many residents to unload old computers and even a few cell phones, will soon be extended into a year-round collection.

The Lucas County Solid Waste Management District recently announced it is accepting tires for a small fee. The waste district will expand the program May 5 to include computers and other electronic gear. Residents must make appointments to drop off the items and will be charged a fee, but the county guarantees the items will be recycled properly.

For tires, a solution could involve shredding them and turning them into mulch for playgrounds. For electronics, one person's old computer is a lifeline for another.

"We're getting computers to those who wouldn't have them," said John Kiely, president of the board for the Coalition to Access Technology and Networking in Toledo, or CATNeT, which takes in refurbished computers from the county and disperses them in the community.

The extended recycling program is part of the solid waste management district's year-round Household Hazardous Waste collection program. The program accepts all household waste from residents, by appointment, at no charge.

When the county expanded the program to include tires, it began charging from $2 for passenger tires up to $25 for tractor tires. Residents recycling tires must make an appointment for drop-off.

The cost for the collection of computers, computer equipment, and other electronics, including microwave ovens and MP3 players, will range from no fee for cell phones to $10 for some televisions.

County Sanitary Engineer Jim Shaw said the fee will help the county have the equipment recycled and, in some cases, refurbished. He said the fee will give residents access to year-round recycling and offer peace of mind that the computers, and data, won't end up in the wrong hands.

He said residents can receive gift receipts for tax write-offs.

The county has a contract with Cleveland-based RET3, which wipes the computers clean and refurbishes those in working condition. Yesterday, about 30 refurbished computers were sent back to the county, the result of last September's annual collection.

That's where CATNeT comes in. Created a decade ago to help get technology into the hands of those who can't afford it, the group refurbishes computers - and accepts those that already have been refurbished - to give away.

Women Blessing Women is one recipient. A nonprofit organization that helps women in poverty learn the skills they need to obtain a job, Women Blessing Women has nine computers, all from CATNeT.

Contact Erica Blake at: eblake@theblade.com or 419-724-6076.