By Lindsay Tice,Staff Writer

Starting July 20, TVs and computer monitors will no longer be allowed in Maine landfills and incinerators, forcing some Mainers to change the way they handle their old electronics.

But other residents – particularly those who live in recycling-friendly towns – won’t have to make any changes at all.

People have a lot of options for dealing with old electronics, especially if the machines work or are repairable. They can sell them. They can give them away to local schools or charities, such as Hope Haven Gospel Mission in Lewiston. Or they can junk them.

A lot of people decide to junk them. The Maine Department of Environmental Protection estimates that between 80,000 and 140,000 used TVs and computer monitors are tossed every year. The machines take up landfill space and can leak toxic chemicals such as lead into the ground, environmentalists say. They also contain valuable steel, glass and other materials that can be recycled.

In January, Maine law began requiring manufacturers to pay for the electronics to be recycled. On July 20, the state will begin banning TVs and computer monitors from landfills. Towns will have to decide how they’re going to deal with them.

In Auburn, residents will no longer be allowed to dump the electronics curbside as bulky waste, according to Public Works Director Bob Belz. Instead, they can drop off old TVs and monitors at the public works facility on Gracelawn Road. There will be no charge.

In the Rumford area, people who use Northern Oxford Regional Solid Waste in Mexico will, for the first time, be able to drop off TVs and computer monitors for recycling. Starting July 18, the center on Route 2 will take the items from residents free of charge. The center, which serves Rumford, Mexico, Dixfield, Byron, Roxbury and Peru, will reassess its no-charge policy after the recycling program has been running for a while.

Other towns are already recycling the electronics, so their residents will see no change.

In Lewiston, residents will continue to drop off TVs and monitors at the solid waste facility on River Road. Residents use their punch pass for free disposal. People who don’t have punch passes or who use up their pass can pay a fee – $5 and up – for disposal.

In Farmington, residents will continue dropping off TVs and computer monitors at the Route 2 recycling center. The center has been accepting the electronics since January 2005, and will continue to charge $5 per item.

Norway-Paris Solid Waste has been recycling TVs and monitors for Norway and Paris residents for the last six months.

“A, we were ready. And B, as of January 18 the manufacturers were responsible for paying. We took advantage of that,” said General Manager Alison McCrady.

People will drop off their electronics at the center on Brown Street in Norway. It is free for residents.

In six months, the center has gotten 208 TVs and monitors.

Because each town varies on its policies, recycling program and fees, state officials say residents should contact their own town office, public works department or waste facility to find out how the new law will affect them.

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