Oregon An E-Waste Power Recycler

Oregon’s three-year-old program to encourage recycling and proper disposal of TVs, computers and monitors is on track to meet its 2011 collection goals, according to officials at the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ).

Through the first six months of 2011, totals from collection sites and events amounted to 12.2 million pounds of recycled “e-waste”. That figure is well on pace to exceed the 2011 minimum collection goal of 22.95 million pounds. Oregon has beaten its collection goals every year of the program’s existence. If this year’s goal is met, the program will have collected more than 63.45 million pounds of material.

via Oregon DEQ

In addition to the program’s collections, nearly 18,000 TVs, monitors and computer units have been diverted for reuse so far this year. DEQ officials speculate that the program, which is financed by electronics manufacturers, received a boost from a TV, computer and monitor disposal ban that went into effect in 2010.

Oregonians who still have old, unwanted TVs, computers and monitors ready for discarding can find a nearby Oregon E-Cycles collection site by visiting www.oregonecycles.org and searching by their address, or by calling toll-free at 1-888-532-9253 (5-ECYCLE). Anyone can take seven or fewer computers (desktop or laptop), monitors and TVs to an E-Cycles collection site free of charge.