S.L. landfills to take electronic waste

Has your desk drawer become a cell-phone morgue? Tired of storing that bulky old PC monitor? What to do with the old analog set now that you're buying a digital TV?

Salt Lake County officials are offering a wider option for some long-delayed spring cleaning, announcing Wednesday that both of its landfill operations will now accept electronic waste from county residents free of charge during regular operating hours.

"We don't want people throwing them in the trash — the idea is to keep them out of the landfill," said Dorothy Adams, environmental health scientist with the Salt Lake Valley Health Department. The electronics often contain heavy metals and other materials that are best disposed of by licensed commercial recyclers paid by the county.

Mayor Peter Corroon announced that the free recycling program, which was popular among residents when it was announced last summer, avoided the budget ax and will continue.

County landfills will also accept paints, pesticides, yard-care chemicals, household cleaners, fluorescent light tubes, old batteries, as well as used oil and antifreeze, Adams said.

"We'll take just about anything other than explosives or radioactive material," which means most smoke detectors aren't allowed, she said.

The electronics recycling program began last August, but the county didn't advertise it heavily, opting to first see how much waste would be collected. From August through December, 119,000 pounds were gathered, along with another 50,000 pounds the first two months of 2009.

"It's not inexpensive to dispose of (about 20 cents per pound) so we wanted to get a feel for the costs we were looking at," Adams said.

The county receives no reimbursement for electronic waste, but does recoup some money from used oil and antifreeze. All of the waste is shipped out of state to various recycling facilities around the country, rather than being shipped abroad to clutter unregulated landfills in other countries, she said.

Electronic waste will go to Denver, where it's disassembled.

Utah legislators passed a bill during this year's session requiring a study of how electronic waste disposal should be managed through the state. Because of its size, Salt Lake County has the means to generate funding for the recycling program, where smaller counties don't, Adams said.

Several states are considering legislation that would require manufacturers to "take back" old electronics and dispose of them properly, while others are considering "point of sale" fees to pay for such programs. At least 28 states already have legislation in place to deal with electronic waste disposal.

Meanwhile, many Utahns have wondered what to do with the electronic junk that clutters drawers, closets and desktops, Adams said. "With people getting ready for the digital TV conversion in June, we're making them aware so they don't throw the old sets in the trash."

E-MAIL: carrie@desnews.com