GREEN BAY (NBC26) — Many of us received new electronics for Christmas, from new TVs to computers and phones.
In the state of Wisconsin, it's actually illegal to throw your old electronic devices in the trash; they have to be properly recycled, said Mark Walter, business development manager for the Brown County Port and Resource Recovery.
“New technology comes out, you’ll see some increase but the big one definitely this time of year with the gift giving and replacement of old TVs, old electronics," he said. “At Christmas time, when you get a new TV, you get a new computer, new cell phones, whatever, we take all that material, we bring it in here and we work with a company who then safely, securely, environmentally responsibly disposes of that material for us.”
Any Northeast Wisconsin resident can recycle their electronics at the Brown County Resource Recovery. It's very easy, said Walter. With contact-less drop-off due to COVID-19, people don’t need to get out of their cars to recycle their items. There is a small fee charged to drop off items, about 30 cents per pound. The most important thing when you’re dropping any item off, from computers to power drills to toothbrushes, is to remove the batteries, said Chris Blan, Resource Recovery technician.
“New devices powered by newer lithium batteries provide newer challenges in this industry," he said. "Rechargeable batteries have become a fire issue.”
Waste management centers everywhere are seeing more fires caused by lithium batteries, said Blan. Additionally, each year, more and more people get rid of electronics.
“It’s less expensive to replace it than to have it repaired," he said. "Because of that, more and more people are starting to see LED TVs that tend to be relatively newer coming into our facility.”
Overall, people do want to recycle their devices properly, said Blan.
“People are more apt to follow their conscience and follow what they view as proper management of electronics," he said. "Even if they are not required to recycle for some electronic devices, they voluntarily recycle them because in their view, it is the proper management of those materials.“
You can drop your electronics off at the Resource Recovery on Thursdays from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. or Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
