MARION – An electronics drop off Saturday will be the first opportunity for a television collection in the county and is open to businesses and schools instead of just residents.
Accurate IT Recycling Services of Columbus is collecting all types of electronics, free for every device except televisions.
Because of the costs of processing, there is a $15 recycling fee for TVs.
Mayor Scott Schertzer connected with the Marion County Recycling and Litter Prevention to get the collection organized, he said.
“Recycling is not mandatory, but generally people think it’s a good thing to do,” he said.
He was looking to get more people to participate in curbside recycling, and the idea blossomed out of that with investigation into the city’s recycling program, Schertzer said.
Most drop offs where electronics are accepted are restricted to residential services. This one will be open to all kinds of businesses and schools.
“It’s a good thing for everybody when we recycle,” he said.
At hazardous waste drop offs, TVs are not accepted, said Angela Carbetta, director of MCRLP.
This is the first ever TV collection in the county,” she said.
More and more recycling centers and landfills are refusing to take televisions because they’re a hazard and expensive to safely process.
TVs and tires are the two kinds of items most frequently dumped at the side of the road, she said.
She gets two to three calls a week from people wanting to dispose of old televisions.
While Mid-Ohio Sanitation and Recycling in Mount Gilead accepts them at all times for a charge, there isn’t anywhere in Marion County that takes them.
Carbetta said she has two TVs she plans to recycle at the event.
And at Accurate IT, she knows they’ll be disposed of safely and properly, meeting all U.S. Environmental Protection Agency guidelines.
While its costly to process the televisions, the other electronics are profitable because of the gold and other materials extracted from them.
The company also rebuilds computers and resells them as used products online, Carbetta said.
Anyone who brings electronics to drop off at the Buffalo Wild Wings parking lot from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday will get $5 off food at Perkins or Buffalo Wild Wings, and will be entered in a drawing for a chance to win a flatscreen TV.
Other electronics accepted at the event include amplifiers, batteries, cables, cameras, CDs, cellphones, computers, copiers, DVD players, VCRs, floppy drives, gaming systems, PDAs, speakers and much more.
Schertzer said he encourages people to get old TVs out of their basements or garages.
If TVs are set out for curbside pickup, they end up in the landfill.
“That’s a very bad thing, and if we can curtail that in any way, that’s another good thing from this drop-off,” he said.
Any city resident who doesn’t have a blue recycling bin can pick one up at the billing department or the city garage. Residents also may get a list of materials that are accepted curbside for recycling.
Call the Recycling and Litter Prevention Office at 740-223-4120 for more information on the electronics collection.
Reporter Jessica Cuffman: 740-375-5155 or jcuffman@marionstar.com