FYI for Thurston County residents:

“Washington State has recycled 18,773,995 pounds of electronics in the first six months of this year. Television sets made up 57% of this. In Thurston County alone, 740,937 pounds of electronics were turned in for recycling.

Manufacturers are now required by state law to provide FREE recycling services for TVs, desktop computers, laptops, and monitors at no cost to residents, non-profits, small businesses, schools, and small local governments through the new E-CYCLE Washington program. Thurston County government is not considered a small local government and cannot participate – but you can as a resident!

All five of the Goodwill stores and donation stations in Thurston County are registered E-CYCLE Washington collection sites, as is Midway Recovery at 638 Durell Rd SE in Olympia. For an up-to-date list, go to http://1800recycle.wa.gov or call 1-800-RECYCLE.

There are also recycling opportunities for electronic items not covered under the new law. Check with the E-CYCLE locations above since they may accept your items. In addition, many local retail chains, non-profits, and other businesses accept a variety of electronics for reuse or recycling. Just go to www.WhereDoITakeMy.org for a list of locations.

Staples is one of these sites and accepts printers, faxes, and all-in-ones for $10 each with keyboards, mice and speakers at no charge. For more information, contact the Olympia store at (360) 570-0800 or go to www.staples.com.

Another site is Office Depot, which offers their Tech Recycling Boxes for $5, $10, and $15. Fill with electronics and return to the store. Questions can be directed to the Olympia store at (360) 352-2426 or the Lacey store at (360) 923-1099 with more information at www.officedepot.com.

If your electronic item is still working, remember that reuse is always more environmentally friendly than recycling. Used equipment can help people and organizations who may not be able to afford to buy new. Consider posting working items on one of the free-to-use online materials exchange websites such as www.2good2toss.com, http://seattle.craigslist.org, or www.usedolympia.com. Items can be posted as free or for a charge. Dont forget to cruise the sites to find bargains for yourself too – they offer much more than just electronics.

Proper disposal of electronics is extremely important since electronics can contain toxic materials such as lead, cadmium, mercury and hazardous chemicals that can harm human health and the environment. Recycling and reuse keeps these and other materials out of our landfills, conserves natural resources, and reduces the energy required to make products from scratch.

For information on other local recycling opportunities in Thurston County, contact Thurston County Solid Waste at 360-357-2491 or go to www.co.thurston.wa.us/wwm.”

Terri Thomas
Education and Outreach Specialist
Thurston County Solid Waste