Michigan EGLE ramps up electronics recycling drop-off sites

The holiday season means not only gift-giving but also disposing of obsolete televisions, computers and smartphones that contain hazardous substances as the items are replaced by the next best gadget.

To keep up with residents’ desire to participate in electronics recycling, the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) has focused its annual electronics grant program on rural areas of the state. Through the grant program, EGLE has helped communities across Michigan establish local e-waste drop-off sites or collection events. Eight permanent collection sites, spread across the Upper Peninsula, will be up and running by spring 2023.

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These collection sites accept unwanted electronics such as computers, printers, cell phones, holiday lights, cables and more. By working with registered electronics recyclers, collectors can ensure that these products are reused or properly recycled to protect the environment.

Electronics include materials that can be toxic if released into the environment such as leaded glass, mercury switches, mercury bulbs, brominated flame-retardant plastics and electronic circuitry that can contain cadmium, chromium and lead.

That’s why proper disposal of electronic waste is so important, says Steve Noble, electronics recycling specialist at EGLE.

“In 2019, in the United States, 46 pounds per person of waste electronics were generated,” Noble says. “A little less than 15 percent of that actually gets recycled. A much larger amount simply resides in drawers, basements and garages waiting to be recycled, primarily because people don’t know where to recycle it or there are no opportunities.”

To find a location to properly recycle unwanted electronic waste and holiday-related items such as Christmas lights, check the Michigan Recycling Directory. EGLE’s electronic recycling webpage also lists free takeback programs offered by manufacturers.