It’s Worth Mentioning Again: e-waste is a real problem

Electronic Takeback Event
Saturday, Oct. 19, 10am-1pm
Pioneer H.S.

Most of us have old electronics lying around the house–an old iPhone 6, a Windows laptop from 2012, a spaghetti tangle of charging cords that don't plug into anything anymore.  What do we do with them?

• Don’t throw them in the garbage—there are too many toxic materials like lead, mercury, cadmium, and beryllium in the components of our e-waste.  

• So can we put our techno junk in the recycle bin?  Not exactly.  Unfortunately, the recycling trucks don’t take these items. In

Here's a better option: take your e-waste to the Electronic Takeback Event at Pioneer H.S. (601 W. Stadium Blvd., Ann Arbor) on Saturday, October 19, 2024 from 10am-1pm.  


WHAT IF I MISS IT?

• The good news is that we can take our old devices to Recycle Ann Arbor’s Drop-Off Station at 2950 Ellsworth Rd year round.  Recycling our e-waste can keep it from ending up in a landfill.  Recycling and reusing also conserves natural resources that are used in the production of brand new devices. In addition, recyclers can recover the valuable copper, silver, gold, and palladium found in our devices.   

• For a small fee, the Drop-Off Station will accept old (10+ years) and nonworking TVs, computers, phones, monitors, keyboards, and more.  Check their website for items accepted, operating times, and details on fees.

• Best Buy and Staples also recycle old electronics.  See the links for items accepted.

• If our old tech is in working condition and younger than 10 years, Recycle Ann Arbor recommends donating it to the A2 Area Reuse Network.  This group of organizations can help us get our usable devices to those who need them.

IMPORTANT REMINDERS

• Sign out of all accounts and erase (or destroy) all hard drives. Reset smart phones, and tablets.  There’s nothing like having our personal and sensitive information in the wrong hands.  

• Remove the laptop battery if it is destined for recycling.  The Drop-Off Station and Staples accept batteries, but they have to be disposed of differently.