In an effort to encourage residents to minimize the environmental harm of e-waste, City of Covington Solid Waste and Recycling is partnering with Blair Tech for the second year to offer all area residents a free opportunity to dispose of old electronics.
Disposing of old electronics, especially large items, often can come at a cost, Solid Waste and Recycling Manager Sheila Fields said. But on Saturday, there’s the chance to do it for free.
“We want to give [residents] the resources and be the facilitator to help them dispose of this harmful waste responsibly,” Fields said.
What counts as e-waste?
E-waste is anything that comes with a cord, according to Solid Waste and Recycling Coordinator Aaron Sparks. But other components like batteries or anything with a chip counts as well.
Sparks said the primary function of e-waste removal events and sites is to minimize environmental harm.
“The main message is circular economy,” Sparks said. “The immediate threat of electronics in our landfill is just [the] leaching of hazardous chemicals like lead, mercury, cadmium — but that's the biggest thing that we're trying to prevent.”
What happens to the e-waste?
Sometimes, the materials can be reused.
The e-waste from this weekend will be processed and even recycled by Blair Tech, a local business based in Covington.
“They're stripping off the metal and recycling that scrap metal. They are, of course, removing the components that can be reused — the aluminum, the copper — and then the plastics get shredded,” Fields said.
Some items might even make it onto Blair Tech’s storefront, Tech Castle.
"There's a lot of old gaming consoles, old televisions, little tiny crank televisions,” Sparks said.
If you can't make Saturday's event
Though Covington has a 24/7 e-waste disposal bin, it’s not large, and can only fit small appliances and batteries. The city also hosts another annual event, but geared just to Covington residents. Fields and Sparks said people can also use Earth 911 to find recycling sites, including e-waste drop-offs, near them.
More information about this weekend’s e-waste event can be found on the city of Covington's website.
Read more:
