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Monday, August 12, 2013

City Expands Recycling Program for Electronics!

 


Beginning this week, the City will expand its electronics recycling program by offering a recycling service on weekdays for unwanted household electronics at no cost to residents.

In addition to accepting TVs and computer monitors, the City’s Department of Public Works now accepts desktop computers, laptops, servers and server racks, networking equipment, electronic instrumentation, printers, copiers and scanners, telephones, projectors, keyboards, battery backups, electronic and audio equipment, and toner and ink cartridges. Proof of residency or business location/license is required.

These items may be dropped off for recycling for free at the DPW yard located at 1 Franey Road. TVs and computer monitors may still be placed curbside (limit 2 items per household) on your designated trash day.

Previously, these items were accepted only at “hazardous waste” recycling events held several times per year. The City expects to save more than $75,000 in electronic waste disposal fees from the switchover.
“As we continue to work to decrease our carbon footprint, offering ongoing electronic waste recycling is a tremendous step forward in those efforts and a burden lifted off residents’ shoulders,” said Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone. “In addition to the customer service benefits, this enhanced program has the potential to save more than $75,000 in disposal fees, as estimated by last year’s figures. Electronic waste recycling questions continue to be among the most frequent calls to our 311 constituent service center, and we hope this change will serve residents well.”

The new program is offered through a contract with Protek Recycling, a Massachusetts- and New York-based company that conducts most of its processing in-house—including the separation of hazardous materials from recyclable materials. Items are either repaired and donated to nonprofits such as schools and universities or disassembled by hand to yield recyclable materials that are shipped to manufacturers or refineries for processing and reuse.

Electronics recycling will be offered on weekdays. Residents may bring unwanted electronics to the DPW yard during regular business hours, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Please call 311 with any questions about this or any other City service.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Great program, but guaranteed, a good percentage of the goods put out will never get into the system.
Why?
The independant "scavengers" will get to those items first.

They are currently active in doing just that for any items citizens put out that they, the "scavengers" can turn into $$$$.

Case on point:
Neighbor put out a fridge, paying $25.00 @ the DPW for a sticker attached to the fridge authorizing a pick-up by a city truck.
He could of saved the $25.00 because a "scavenger" got there first.

At one time, after calling 311 giving 24 hour advance notice as required, I put out an old TV for city pick-up.It was gone before a city truck arrived.

Point:
if the city expects the new program to create additional $$$$ revenue, to maximize that objective, somehow "scavengers" have to be slowed down or stopped.

Anonymous said...

Scavengers are killing me with the late night/early morning canning. 2 guys in my neighborhood like to tip the cart and pull everything out on the street to get bottles and cans.

Anonymous said...

Scavengers grabbed a microwave I put out. The thing was sparking in the back. I put a sign on it that said it didn't work. It was going in 30 minutes.

Anonymous said...

City could of saved the $75,000 disposal fees, plus employee Saturday overtime dollars, by allowing citizens to put that stuff out on the sidewalk over the years; scavengers would take.

Once they, the scavengers, get the word of this new program in Somerville the company designated by the city to pick-up the items will be lucky to find anything to pick up.

As far as the citizens who put stuff out are concerned, no harm no foul; except possibly messes left behind by the scavengers leaving a mess for citizens to clean up.

Makes me wonder if the mayor thought this program through as to unintended consequences.

It will not be just one scavenger and truck canvassing through neighborhoods at all hours night and day, but multiple ones competing for first dibs; including the appointed program driver and truck who may or may not find his trip was all for naught.