Canyonlands Community Recycling (CCR) and the Grand County Solid Waste Special Service District are offering the Moab community a chance to responsibly recycle non-working electronic devices and dead batteries.
CCR will be at the Community Recycle Center at 1000 Sand Flats Rd. from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 8 to collect unwanted items for recycling. Almost anything that plugs in or runs on batteries can be accepted at this drive, with the exception of large appliances such as refrigerators, freezers, air conditioners, washers, dryers and stoves.
Large appliances can be taken to Bob’s Sanitation Transfer Station at any time during business hours for scrap metal recycling. Most appliances can be taken to the transfer station for free, but charges may apply for appliances.
CCR and WabiSabi started the Electronics Waste and Battery Recycling Drive in 2011 as a response to community demand for a way to recycle electronics and batteries.
In total, these events have kept more than 50,000 pounds of electronics and 1,000 pounds of batteries out of the local landfills. In 2013, the Grand County Solid Waste District voted to sponsor the costs of this drive for the public, though businesses will still be charged the true cost. CCR will also be accepting program fund donations at the event to help fund future recycling efforts.
According to employees at Metech Recycling, the most commonly recycled items used to be bulky cathode ray tube televisions, but are now desktop computer monitors and towers. Smaller electronics such as cell phones, shavers, e-cigarettes, remote controls and children’s toys can also be recycled at this drive. Even accessories for electronics such as cords, parts, CDs, DVDs, VHS tapes and audio cassettes will be accepted for recycling.
When Metech Recycling collects items, the electronics are broken down into their component parts of plastics, glass and metals, and 95 percent of materials collected are sent back into the manufacturing process. This reduces the need to acquire new raw materials, which is generally more costly and has a greater environmental impact. Recycling also keeps toxins such as mercury, cadmium and lead out of Moab’s landfills.
The process of demanufacturing is labor-intensive and potentially hazardous, and it can be abused when electronics are sent overseas and dismantled by workers in countries with inadequate health and environmental protections.
CCR chose to work with Metech Recycling because it is e-Stewards Certified and holds the State of Utah contract for electronics recycling. The e-Stewards Certification is the highest certification currently available in the U.S., and is given to companies that process all items within the U.S. according to safe labor and environmental standards. Metech also guarantees data security and can provide tracking information for any electronics dropped off at the drive.
“It was very important for us to work with someone we could trust. We didn’t want to get rid of Grand County’s e-waste only to make it a problem for people in a developing country,” CCR Program Director Abby Scott said. “We want to ensure responsibility during all parts of the electronics recycling process.”
The drive on Saturday, Nov. 8 is for households only, but to address the needs of the local business community, CCR and Metech are offering a Nov. 7 pickup for businesses, nonprofits and government offices. Businesses that would like to arrange for weighing and collection should contact Canyonlands Community Recycling at 435-210-4996, or email ccr@moabrecycles.org. All participating businesses will be charged the true cost of recycling their items at $0.25 per pound for electronics and $2 per pound for batteries, plus a small pickup fee between $5 and $25.
Residents who are elderly or disabled are invited to contact CCR and arrange for pickup of electronics on Friday, Nov. 7 at no charge.
“We’d like to make sure that all members of the community have access to this event, and a lot of older people still have big TVs or old stereo equipment that they’d like to get rid of,” Scott said.
The public can donate working electronics to WabiSabi at any time at the WabiSabi South location at 1030 S. Bowling Alley Ln. Non-working electronics are accepted only at the electronic waste drives and should not otherwise be taken to WabiSabi.
For more information, including questions about specific items, contact CCR at 435-210-4996, email CCR@MoabRecycles.org or visit www.MoabRecycles.org.
Businesses can pay fee for Nov. 7 collection of old electronics
We want to ensure responsibility during all parts of the electronics recycling process.
What: Household-only Electronics Waste and Battery Recycling Drive
Where: Community Recycle Center, 1000 Sand Flats Rd.
When: Saturday, Nov. 8 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Cost: Free to households, but CCR will be accepting program fund donations
