E-Waste Recycling

WHY E-WASTE COLLECTION IS IMPORTANT

What is E-Waste?

E-waste is a popular, informal name for any broken or unwanted electrical or electronic appliance.

If you have Household chemicals and would like to get rid of them, please visit our Household Hazardous Waste page for disposal options

Why recycle E-Waste?

The new electronic waste recycling laws make it a crime to throw away old computers and other electronics. Some components of old electronic equipment can be hazardous to our environment. The toxicity is due in part to lead, mercurycadmium and a number of other metallic substances. When discarded improperly, these substances and chemicals are extremely harmful to the environment. Lead is a toxic substance of particular concern, as lead poisoning can especially be harmful to young children. A typical 17-inch computer monitor contains approximately 2 pounds of lead while a 27-inch color television contains up to 8 pounds of lead. It is estimated 500 million computers will become obsolete between 1997 and 2007 and will contribute nearly 1.6 billion pounds of lead to the environment if not handled correctly.

Why should we be concerned about E-Waste in our waste stream? Why is it a problem?

E-Waste is one of the fastest growing segments of our nation's waste stream. E-Waste now makes up 5 percent of all municipal waste worldwide. According to the International Association of Electronics Recyclers, Americans dispose of 2 million tons of electronic products a year including 50 million computers and 130 million cell phones. By 2010, the United States will be discarding 400 million electronic units annually.

E-Waste Collection Center

E-Waste collections occur at County Center IV, 1710 Morgan Road, Modesto only (E-Waste will not be accepted at Household Collection Mobile events). E-Waste is collected free of charge to the residents of Stanislaus County. The collection facility is open to households on Fridays and Saturdays from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. from September through May, excepting major holidays.

NEW SUMMER HOURS: Fridays and Saturdays from 7:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. from June through August

For up-to-date information on dates the facility is open, please call the Waste Information Hotline at (209) 525-6789.

For a non-profit agency or business to use the collection service, the non-profit agency or business must be able to fall under the Very Small Quantity Universal Waste Generator (VSQUWG) Regulations, which includes the generation of no more than 220 pounds of hazardous waste per month and/or 5 CRT's per year. Please call 209-525-6700 to check your qualification and appointment availability. Non-profit agencies or businesses that do meet the VSQG regulations need to document all waste brought in on company letterhead.

Common E-Waste material accepted

  • Scanners
  • Cell phones
  • Alarm clocks
  • Mice, Keyboards, Computers & Computer monitors
  • Televisions
  • VCR’s
  • Stereos
  • Printers
  • Fax machines

Not E-Waste

  • Refrigerators
  • Stoves
  • Dishwashers

For those non-profit agencies or businesses who do not qualify for the CESQG program or prefer to handle your own E-Waste or Universal Waste, the provided links may help you.

Cartridges For Kids - A recycling program that pays schools and non-profit organizations CA$H for empty laser and inkjet cartridges, used cell phones, laptops, PDAs, and iPods.

The Thermostat Recycling Corporation , a not-for-profit corporation owned by three NEMA member companies, facilitates the collection by HVAC wholesalers from contractors of all brands of used; wall-mounted mercury-switch thermostats so that the mercury can be purified for re-use TRC Application . Local HVAC Mercury Recyclers:

Other resources include, E-recycle.org lets you to search a database for many electronic products to find a recycler.

Cellular Phones

Cell Phone Recycling Act of 2004 – AB2901; on September 29th 2004 Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed the Cell Phone Recycling Act of 2004 into law, which will require retailers to have a system in place to collect used cell phones if they want to sell new devices in the state of California. The Cell Phone Recycling Act of 2004 makes it unlawful to sell, on and after July 1, 2006, a cell phone in the state to a consumer unless the retailer complies with the act. To be in compliance, retailers selling cell phones must institute mechanisms to collect used wireless phones for reuse, recycling or environmentally sound disposal. All sales channels, including catalog and internet sales, are impacted by this new law.

Ink Cartridges

Epson offers a program that enables customers to send back used Epson products for recycling.
www.FreeRecycling.com will pay up to $3.60 for each ink cartridge and will supply free shipping!

Fluorescent Tube Recyclers

LampTracker (800) 664-1434 Prepaid Recycling Program for Lamps & Ballasts. One price includes everything you need, the container, shipping to the recycling center, recycling fees, and certificates of recycling.

EasyPak (888) 640-6700 Order EasyPak containers when you need to dispose of lamps, ballasts, batteries, and thermostats. One price includes everything you need, the container, shipping to the recycling center, recycling fees, and certificates of recycling.

Bulbs.com (888) 455-2800 Prepaid Recycling Program for Lamps & Ballasts. One price includes everything you need, the container, shipping to the recycling center, recycling fees, and certificates of recycling.

Omega Pacific

Local Reuse and Recycle Programs

Stanislaus County Fink Road Sanitary Landfill, 4000 Fink Road Crows Landing - (209)837-4800 Items accepted: computer monitors, computers/CPUs, copiers, laptops, scanners, fax machines, printers, cell phones, PDA’s, pagers, stereos, televisions, VCR's. If you have computer monitors or televisions, you must notify the attendant at the window. Limit is 2 monitors and 2 televisions per household. Please call or ask attendant for fee information.

Bertolotti Transfer Station, Inc., 231 Flamingo Drive, Modesto - (209)537-6911

Gilton Resource Recovery, 800 S. McClure Road, Modesto - (209)840-5662, moc.notlig@gannavys

Turlock Transfer , 1020 S. Walnut Road, Turlock - (209)668-6049

Web-based E-Waste resources

Below are links to California State electronics recycling policies and programs.

CalRecycle

Reuse and recycle options for electronic equipment.

Californian’s Against Waste E-Waste

Local solutions for residents of Stanislaus County

Disclaimer: This list was compiled from a short internet search, is not exhaustive, and is intended for use as a resource for business to comply with the new Universal Waste Rule. The County of Stanislaus does not endorse any particular company.