Area Electronic Recycling Events

What should you do with those old computers, television sets, cables, wires, batteries, cameras, cell phones and other electronics in your house?  An opportunity to safely dispose of them is approaching the area so here is your chance to clean out your house or shop!  Trailblazers RC&D received a grant from the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality with donations from the supervisors and commissioners from each of the participating counties to college electronics at several locations in both the Little Blue and Republican Natural Resources Districts.

A report conducted by the Consumer Electronics Association in 2013 showed that the average American household uses about 28 electronic products such as personal computers, mobile phones, TVs and electronic readers (e-readers), Unfortunately, the Environmental Protection Agency reported that in 2015, Americans generated 3.09 million tons of obsolete electronic products and only 12.5% of that waste is recycled. That electronic waste put in landfills poses a serious threat to the environment as they contain hazardous materials such as mercury.

Not only is recycling electronic devices good for the environment, but good for the economy too! By recycling one million cell phones, the EPA states that 35,274 pounds of copper, 772 pounds of silver and 75 pounds of gold and 33 pounds of palladium can be recovered. There is also 30 to 40 times more copper in a ton of circuit boards that can be mined from one metric ton of ore.

The upcoming recycling events are free and open to businesses, schools, government entities, non-profits and households! Locations and times in our area include:

• September 20^th– Hebron –East of Road Department Shop – 8 am to Noon
• September 21^st– Geneva – Bullpen East of Courthouse – 8 am to Noon
• September 24^th– Clay Center – Clay Center Fairgrounds – 8 am to Noon
• September 24^th– Nelson –Nuckolls County Road Department – 1:30 to 5:00 pm
• September 25^th-Guide Rock – 355 University Street – 8 am to Noon

Electronics that are accepted: cables, wires, batteries, UPS backup units, cameras, cell phones, smartphones, circuit boards, computers, computer equipment, copiers, cordless telephones, data center equipment, DVD players,  Blueray players,  gaming systems, hard  drives, hubs, ink/toner (empty or full), iPods, iPads, iPhones, keyboards, microphones, joysticks, lab equipment, LCD monitors, mainframe equipment, modems, routers, medical  equipment, networking equipment, pagers, beepers, PCI Cards, printers, power supplies, scanners, servers, Telecom equipment, microwaves and TVs. Please do not bring any other types of appliances.

Any questions can be directed to the event coordinator Jim Farmer with Trailblazers RC&D of Red Cloud at (402) 746-4132.

(Source: Little Blue Resources District)