County residents can unload obsolete computers and cell phones Saturday and Sunday at the county’s first “E-Waste Weekend,” coinciding with nationwide Earth Day celebrations.
The county fairgrounds in San Rafael will host the program as a free opportunity to recycle a wide array of electronics, or e-waste. The items collected may include LCD, flatscreen, plasma or any type of television and monitors, computers, printers, PDAs, DVD players, copy machines, fax machines, calculators, stereo systems, telephones and VCRs.
Jim Farley, the county’s director of cultural and visitor services, said this weekend’s program involves a partnership with Electronic Recyclers, the state’s largest electronic-waste recycler.
“Several (fairgrounds) have organized successful events,” he said. “We now want to be part of this effort.”
Farley described the program as a one-stop, drop-off experience.
“We’ll have staff that will come up to your car when you pull in and take items from you to the bin,” he said. “You can even stay in your car.”
“Electronic Recyclers takes care of the details, which is a big part of recycling with confidence,” said Dana Armanino, the county’s green business coordinator. “They use the most technologically advanced CRT crushing system in the state, shred hard drives to secure privacy and confidentiality of data, supply certificates of assured destruction and provide video verification of destruction.”
Tony Reynolds, owner of Renew Computers, a San Rafael computer recycling firm, said that while his firm is not involved in this weekend’s effort, he supports it.
Reynolds’ company has offered a free electronic recycling drop-off program on the first Saturday of each month, in addition to regular weekday collection, for the past 10 months.
“We easily get about 50 people a day on weekdays and about 300 to 400 people on a typical Saturday event,” he said.
“We’re able to get a lot recycled here in Marin,” said Reynolds, noting the company is able to reuse 30 percent to 40 percent of the items received.
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