If you have an old computer or TV that you need to get rid of, a new law taking effect today means you can no longer throw it out with the trash. Ann Coakley with the DNR says the e-waste ban applies to a wide range of consumer electronics, including TVs, computer hardware, video players, and cell phones.
Instead of throwing those items away, they should now be recycled. Coakley says many communities and retailers have been taking them already and a listing is available on the DNR’s website.
Coakley says recycling old electronics will benefit the state in many ways. First of all, she says many of the components and materials can be re-used to make new products. Second, she says keeping them out of landfills will help prevent potentially harmful chemicals from leeching into the ground or water supplies.
The ban is part of an electronic recyling bill passed by the Legislature last October. It requires electronics manufacturers to accept a certain amount of old products each year, based on how many new items they sell in the state.