Mayor Mark A. Smith announced that the Bayonne Department of Public Works will start curbside pick-up of certain electronic equipment (e-waste), effective Monday, January 14, 2013.  These items include computers, laptops, monitors, televisions, electronic tablets, electronic notebooks, and e-book readers.  Under federal and state regulations implemented a year ago, it has been illegal to dispose of e-waste with regular garbage.  In 2012, the City of Bayonne designated its recycling yard on Hook Road as the drop-off site for designated electronic items.  Mayor Smith said, “Although the City instituted longer hours of operation at our recycling yard to accommodate the drop-off of electronic items, I believe we can serve the public better by having our Department of Public Works pick up these e-waste items at curbside. The convenience of curbside pick-up will encourage more people to participate in the electronic recycling program.”

            To make arrangements for the curbside pick-up of designated electronic items, please call the Public Works Department at 201-858-6070, Monday through Friday, except holidays, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.  Pick-ups will take place Monday through Saturday.  There will be no pick-ups on Sunday.  Please place the items at curbside after 6:00 p.m. on the day that you have called the Public Works office.  A Public Works crew will pick up the items either on the evening of the same day of the call, or on the next day, unless that call comes in on a Saturday, Sunday, or a holiday.  This pick-up by Public Works will be separate and distinct from the curbside pick-up of garbage, paper, cardboard, cans, and bottles, which is performed by Roselle Suburban Disposal, a private carting firm.

            Bayonne residents will still have the option of dropping off designated electronic items and other recyclable items at the recycling yard on Hook Road, Monday to Friday, from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., except holidays.

            According to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP), the presence of various metals and other elements in electronic items motivated governments to keep them out of landfills.  As the NJDEP explained in a recent statement, “Discarded TVs, computers, and computer monitors contain lead, mercury, cadmium, nickel, zinc, brominated flame retardants, and other potentially hazardous materials, while Cathode Ray tubes and CRTs contain large amounts of lead that is used to shield consumers from radiation.”  The NJDEP informed the public that electronic waste makes up two percent of the solid waste disposed in New Jersey, but that as a result of consumer demand for new technologies, and the disposal of old equipment, “e-waste is growing faster than any other component of the solid waste stream.”   

            The law does NOT require recycling of cell phones, DVD players, VCRs, game consoles, or various other devices.  Some retailers and service organizations provide drop-off opportunities for these items.

            For more information on New Jersey’s electronic recycling program, please visit http:www.nj.gov/dep/dshw/ewaste/index.html.

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