Starting September 1, 2010 certain common electronics are banned from the landfill.

Beginning September 1, 2010, Wisconsin's Electronic Recycling Law bans certain consumer electronic devices from landfills and incinerators and establishes a collection and recycling system in Wisconsin for households and K-12 public schools.   This means that the electronic items we use everyday can not be put in the trash and can be recycled.

So what can someone do to dispose of their old electronics in Manitowoc County?  The Manitowoc County Recycling Center accepts old electronics year round for recycling.  TVs, computer monitors, computer processors, printers, scanners, video players, light bulbs, batteries, and other electronics can be brought in for a small fee.  The recycled electronics are sent to environmentally responsible companies that disassemble them and recycle the parts. 

There are many reasons to recycle old electronics.  One reason is that many electronics contain toxic metals, including lead, cadmium and mercury, which can leech out into the environment if landfilled or incinerated.  This can lead to not only environmental concerns, but also human health problems.  Another reason is that many materials in electronics, such as plastic, gold, copper, and aluminum, that can be extracted and used to make other electronics.  This reduces the amount of time and money used to mine and create these materials and reduces the impact these processes have on the environment.

Banned Electronics Televisions Desktop Computers Laptop Computers Desktop printers Computers monitors Keyboards and mice Scanners External hard drives Other computer accessories DVD players VCRs and other video players Fax machines Cell phones	The Manitowoc County Recycling Center has recycled over 344,400 pounds of unwanted electronics since the program started in 2000.  More than half of this took place during the last two years!

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