Waste Management Lafayette Indiana

Electronics are a rapidly growing waste stream

As we replace old electronic products with newer models, the stockpile of used and obsolete products grows. According to the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), Americans now own approximately 24 electronic products per household. The Solving The E-Waste Problem (StEP) Initiative estimates that in 2012 the United States generated over 65 pounds of e-waste per resident.

The following items are prohibited from being discarded by Indiana households, public (including charter) schools, and small businesses:

• Televisions
• Computer monitors
• Computers (including desktops, laptops, and tablets)
• E-readers
• Fax machines
• Peripherals (including keyboards, mice, external hard drives, printers, all-in-one printer/scanner/copiers, projectors, and any other devices that are sold exclusively for external use with a computer and provide input into or output from a computer)
• DVD players (including gaming systems that are able to play DVDs)
• Digital photo frames
• Digital media players
• iPods/MP3 players
• Camcorders/cameras
• DVR/TiVo devices (including cable boxes and satellite boxes, but not satellite dishes)
• Portable GPS navigation systems

Why Recycle Electronics?

Electronics contain heavy metals, including lead, mercury, cadmium, and hexavalent chromium that can be harmful if released into the environment. Recycling electronics ensures these materials are safely managed and that valuable materials such as steel, glass, and plastic, as well as precious metals such as copper, gold, tin, silicon, and aluminum are reclaimed for the manufacturing of new products. Reusing and recycling raw materials from e-waste conserves natural resources and avoids pollution.