Electronics Recycling

The project is to collect electronics, such as televisions and computers, that would be recycled by Metech Recycling rather than being disposed of in landfills. 29,185 lbs of electronics were collected and recycled at the first drive on 4/16/2011. Due to the high demand for the service, a second recycling day was held on 9/17/2011 in which 42,456 lbs of electronics were collected. Venture Crew 422 is now running semi-annual drives for the town due to the success of the program.  A third recycling day was held on 10/20/12.

Every year between 20-50 million tons of electronics are thrown out worldwide. Many of these electronics will end up in landfills where they will sit for thousands of years. Seventy percent of the heavy metals that are in landfills came from e-waste materials that were improperly disposed. Electronics contain materials such as lead, mercury, cadmium, chromium, phosphorous, lithium, and polycarbons. Many of these pollutants can leach into the ground water from a landfill. If electronics end up in incinerators,the flame retardant plastics will give off toxic chemicals.  Due to electronic recycling drives, thousands of pounds of material will not end up in landfills. Instead, scarce metals and materials that are used in these electronics will be used for other purposes. By recycling the electronics, we are able to reuse these materials, instead of trying to locate and process new sources.

The recycling drives were held for the residents of Tolland with the help of the Metech Recycling Company, one of the Connecticut DEP-approved recycling companies. Metech ensures that the toxic materials are kept safe and do not end up in landfills. Metech ensures that 95% of the materials are recycled responsibly to the highest environmental standards.

For more information, visit: METech Recycling