Get rid of old electronics SaturdayOld televisions sit outside of Pete's TV Service. — © 2008 Gallup Independent / Brian Leddy

Copyright © 2008
Gallup Independent
By Kevin Killough
Staff writer

GALLUP — The McKinley Citizens Recycling Council along with the Albuquerque-based ResourceAd is now trying to tackle electronic waste. On Saturday Jan., 10 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., ResourceAd will be taking in electronic waste at Castle Furniture. This includes computers, monitors, copiers, printers, fax machines, UPS units, scanners, electronic cameras, modems, servers, phones, cell phones, gaming systems, batteries and stereos.

People wishing to drop off television sets may also do so for a $5 disposal fee.

Electronic waste is a growing problem. It contains toxic materials such as cadmium and lead, creating hazards for disposals in landfills. This will be the first e-waste effort for McKinley Citizens Recycling Council.

ResourceAd is a small, woman-owned company that specializes in e-waste. The company takes much of the collected materials to a juvenile rehabilitation program where the items are refurbished. Working units are donated to non-profits and schools. E-waste that can not be refurbished is disassembled and sold to recyclers in Texas and California.

E-waste has been known to be sold to recyclers overseas, where workers extract the materials using primitive methods that are hazardous to employees. ResourceAd does not sell to companies that ship materials overseas and ensures the companies it works with follow all local and federal laws governing disposal and handling of e-waste.