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| The E-Waste Roundup will be Nov. 18 from 7:30 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. |
As a public service, Cal Poly Pomona and Electronic Recyclers are establishing an Electronic Waste Collection Program to help members of the university community and its neighbors dispose of e-waste in a safe manner that will protect the environment.
On Saturday, Nov. 18, any member of the campus community or resident of Pomona, San Dimas, Diamond Bar and Walnut may bring their unwanted electronics for easy disposal.
The E-Waste Roundup runs from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and will take place in Parking Lot K at the corner of Temple Avenue and University Drive.
As of Feb. 9 when the Electronic Waste Recycling Act went into effect, most electronics cannot be legally disposed of in the trash.
“E-waste is the most rapidly growing segment of the municipal waste stream,” says David Patterson, director of the university's Environmental Health & Safety department. “These materials should no longer be disposed of in municipal landfills because the toxic substances may enter the environment via ground water or other mechanisms.”
E-Waste comprises 2 percent to 5 percent of the municipal solid waste stream. E-waste is a general category of electronic products including broken or obsolete televisions, computer monitors, central processing units (CPU), cordless and cell phones, cash registers, videocassette recorders, cell phones, copiers and printers, stereos and speakers, microwaves, X-ray machines, and some scientific equipment. These products often contain toxic materials such as lead, barium, mercury and cadmium, which require proper management as well as valuable resources that should be recovered.
Beginning Jan. 1, 2005, California consumers began paying a fee ranging from $6 to $10 at the time of purchase of certain video display devices. The fees are deposited into a special account to be paid to qualified e-waste collectors and recyclers to cover their costs of managing these devices when they are discarded.
Due to the 2005 law, some electronic devices can be discarded at the Nov. 18 roundup without charge. Those devices include: computer monitors (cathode ray tubes, plasma, LCD) and visual display devices, including televisions, (w/screens over 4 inches diagonally).
Personal computer components, PDAs, cell phones, printers, fax machines, microwave ovens, video/DVD equipment and stereo/audio equipment will be accepted at $0.25/pound.
The money collected will be used to fund the program. Any money above operating expenses will be used to support environmental protection and safety programs at the university.
This will be the university's first E-Waste Roundup, and there could be more planned in the future. For more information visit https://www.cpp.edu/~ehs/ewaste.htm.