Options available for aging electronics.

Byline: Randi Bjornstad The Register-Guard

They call it "e-waste," and it's been a problem for landfill operators for years. But soon, Lane County Waste Management will offer electronics buffs a way to get rid of all their defunct or outdated equipment without cluttering up the garage or clogging the dump with bulky, and not to mention environmentally toxic, discards.

Starting today, county residents can call for an appointment to bring their no-longer-wanted telephone, fax, computer, TV and video components to the central receiving station in Glenwood, although the actual drop-off dates begin in July.

The disposal will be free for some items, with a small fee for others to help defray the cost of processing.

Some of the discards will be refurbished and redistributed by local groups that recondition equipment and resell or give it to low-income or disabled residents.

Most of the rest will go to Earth Protection Services Inc. of Tigard, which will "de-manufacture" the discarded equipment before selling it to other markets for reprocessing.

For years, the county and BRING Recycling co-sponsored occasional disposal events, but the volume of discarded electronics demands a more regular effort, said Pete Chism, the county's waste reduction specialist.

Once-in-awhile events to help people get rid of their e-waste "just wasn't enough," Chism said. "But also, as time went by, we also learned that a lot of the recyclers who were taking the stuff were shipping it overseas without dismantling it, and a lot of the toxic components were thrown away, ending up contaminating soil and water and endangering health in those places."

So the county's resource and recycling advisory committee recommended starting a local program that would collect electronic waste while keeping it out of the local landfill and not endangering the environment.

"The important thing is, we will know exactly where everything that's brought in will end up," Chism said.

Televisions and computer monitors use cathode ray tubes that contain up to 10 pounds of lead, as well as mercury, cadmium and other toxic compounds that can contaminate soil and groundwater if disposed in a landfill, Chism said.

A plan recently approved by the county commissioners calls for local groups that redistribute electronic equipment - among them the Computer Reuse and Recycling Center, the St. Vincent dePaul Society of Lane County and Mac Renewal - to take usable equipment for that purpose.

The county has awarded a $218,000 contract with Earth Protection Services to take the rest for the first year of the program.

EPSI will dismantle computers and monitors, sending hard drives, cables, wire and power supplies to a Washington company for separation into ferrous and nonferrous metals and plastics for reuse.

Circuit boards will go to another processor in Washington, while cathode ray tubes will be shipped to Missouri, where the lead will be extracted and reused in certain types of batteries.

Printer ink will be collected and reused, and batteries will be reprocessed.

The electronics recycling program will operate out of the county's Household Hazardous Waste Facility at the central receiving station in Glenwood.

Appointments will be available to county households during a four-hour block on Fridays, beginning July 9, and the fourth Saturday of each month.

Businesses will have their chance to recycle equipment on the third Wednesday of each month, starting in July.

"The good thing is, it doesn't cost much more to recycle than it does to throw something away," Chism said. "This way, we're keeping stuff out of the landfill and we're providing job opportunities for people in the recycling and reuse businesses."

The county estimates that it will take in more than 500 tons of reusable or recyclable electronics in the first year of the program, generating nearly $245,000 to cover the cost of the effort.

Consumption and changing technology mean ever-increas- ing amounts of discarded equipment, and the situation will only get worse when the federal government requires a switchover to digital television signals in 2006, making millions of older television sets obsolete, Chism said.

"We can't reverse these trends, so we have to find a better way to deal with the waste," he said.

"We want to give people an opportunity to discard things in a responsible manner, either by reuse or recycling. We think the more people know, the more they will care, and that will benefit everybody."

HOW TO RECYCLE SURPLUS ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT

A new program to help Lane County households and businesses get rid of unwanted electronic equipment without sending it to the landfill will start next month, but appointments for the service will be accepted beginning today

When: Drop-offs for residential recyclers will be accepted Fridays and Saturdays, beginning July 9; businesses may participate on the third Wednesday of each month, beginning July 21

Where: The county's Household Hazardous Waste Facility at the Glenwood Central Receiving Station, 3100 E. 17th Ave., Eugene (Glenwood)

How: Call 682-3111 for an appointment

Free items: All telephone-related materials; fax machines; computer peripherals (mouse, speakers, keyboard, scanner, printer); stereo; DVD players; VCRs; video game components

Fee items: TV set with screen less than 10 inches, $5; TV set with 11-to-20-inch screen, $10; TV with 21-to-30-inch screen, $15; larger TV or console, $20; desktop computer, $5; laptop computer, $5; computer monitor, $8; copy machine, $35

Payment options: Cash or check; no credit cards

- Lane County Waste Management Division