With one of the lowest recycling rates in the state, the city of New York has launched a new electronics recycling programme to provide participating buildings with free collection and recycling of unwanted electronic equipment.
The ‘e-cycleNYC’ initiative launched with partners Electronic Recyclers International (ERI) will be available to buildings with more than 10 units, or flats, with a variety of extra services offered including storage bins, room clean-outs, and building events.
“Recycling electronic equipment keeps harmful materials out of New York City’s waste stream and the environment,” said John Doherty, Sanitation Commissioner, New York City. “While safe to use, electronics often contain lead, mercury, and other hazardous materials and in fact make up the largest and fastest growing component of the hazardous materials entering our waste stream.”
The goal of ‘e-cycleNYC’ is to make electronics recycling as easy as possible for city residents, many of whom live in apartment buildings and do not own cars to transport TVs and other large electronics to drop-off events or retail take-back programmes. It will also not add anything extra to the city budget as funding comes from various electronics manufacturers.
“With e-CycleNYC, we are actually creating a sophisticated, long-term programme that is the first of its kind on many levels,” John Shegerian, Chairman and CEO of ERI told Cities Today. “It’s a highly replicable model, however, so hopefully many other cities will follow suit. By keeping electronics out of landfills and having them properly recycled, everybody wins, including the environment.”
In choosing a partner, the sanitation department required that all materials be handled in an environmentally responsible manner ensuring that none of the electronics would be landfilled or exported illegally. Through its agreements with electronics manufacturers, ERI domestically recycles approximately 90 tonnes of electronics annually. All seven of its processing facilities comply with the industry and environmental standards.
‘e-cycleNYC’ will be rolled out in the next few months in which the city’s sanitation department hopes to have most buildings registered before the ban on disposing of electronics in residential rubbish takes effect in 2015.