FARMINGTON — Don’t throw out those old or broken electronics! The 11th Annual “Earth Day Every Day!” electronics recycling day gives greater Farmington area and Franklin County residents an opportunity to responsibly dispose of household electronic devices, otherwise referred to as “e-waste,” instead of disposing of them in a way that could harm the environment and ultimately be dangerous to all life.
As a community service project, unwanted, old and broken electronics will be collected for Maine Department of Environmental Protection-approved recycling and disposal. The “Earth Day Every Day!” event has been rescheduled to take place from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Sept. 21 in the Farmington Hannaford parking lot located on Routes 2 & 4 (the Wilton Road), rain or shine. The April e-waste disposal was cancelled unexpectedly.
The e-waste collection has been located at the Farmington Hannaford store since 2016, where it provides an.opportunity for responsible recycling of TVs, computers, scanners, photocopiers, monitors, printers, microwaves, DVD and VCR players, stereos, phones, gaming and other electronic devices. Items not accepted include lighting/bulbs, batteries, large appliances including air conditioners.
There is no set fee for this disposal service, however, free-will monetary donations are greatly appreciated to support host organization Old South First Congregation’s community service, outreach and youth programs. Volunteers will be directing traffic and be available to help unload electronics from vehicles. The e-waste drop off is not limited to just Farmington residents.
According to Earth Day Network, America produces at least 50 million tons of e-waste a year and only 25 percent or less is recycled safely. The rest is buried or incinerated, causing toxins such as lead, mercury and cadmium to leach into the soil or enter the atmosphere. Large amounts of international e-waste ends up on the black market in countries like China, India and Kenya where labor is cheap but health risks are at a very high level. Reclaimed precious metals like gold and silver can be extracted from recycled electronics.
For any questions regarding the e-waste disposal and recycling event, contact the church office at 778-0424. No early drop offs.
Volunteers assit with unloaded of electronics at last year’s Earth Day Every Day! e-waste disposal event. Photo courtesy of Old South First Congregational Church
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.