BRATTLEBORO — On July 1, Vermont's new electronic waste (e-waste) recycling program began, providing free and convenient recycling of e-waste to residents, charities, schools, and small businesses with 10 or fewer employees.
The recycling program, known as “Vermont E-Cycles,” was created by a law passed by legislators last year requiring manufacturers of electronics to finance the cost of collecting and recycling their discarded products.
This type of “producer responsibility” program not only eases the financial burden carried by municipalities, but also provides a powerful incentive for manufacturers to design their electronics to last longer and to exclude the toxic materials that make recycling so difficult and expensive.
Consumers are now able to drop off their televisions, computers, and computer-related equipment (monitors, mice, keyboards, and so on) for free recycling at participating collection locations across the state.
Collection sites in Windham County include the Windham Solid Waste Management District's transfer station on Old Ferry Road in Brattleboro, the Jamaica Transfer Station on Castle Hill Road, and the Rockingham/Westminster Recycling Center on Route 5 in Westminster.
As of January 1, 2011, the law puts a landfill ban on computers, TVs, and other kinds of e-waste. Although the landfill ban includes devices that are not part of the free recycling program, these electronics can be recycled for a fee at collection locations participating in the state program.
E-waste is one of the fastest growing waste streams in the United States. According to the International Association of Electronics Recyclers, Americans scrap 400 million units of electronics annually. Due to this growing problem, many states are turning to producer responsibility recycling programs. Vermont was the 21st state in the country to pass this type of legislation for electronic waste.
For more information on the program, consumers can go to www.vtecycles.org.