E-Cycling comes to Valley Stream

Got an old television set to get rid of? A computer you don’t want anymore? The Village of Valley Stream will now be accepting these items free under a new electronic waste recycling agreement it signed last week.

Under Department of Environmental Conservation regulations that went into effect last year, the village could no longer dispose of these items through its regular trash. These items are not supposed to be crushed because they may contain mercury, lead and arsenic, among other dangerous chemicals. Electronic waste now has to be separated and hauled away by the village’s refuse contractor, Jamaica Ash. It was also costing residents money.

Sanitation Department Supervisor Wayne Mastrangelo said that Jamaica Ash was charging the village $7.50 for every item of electronic waste, including televisions, computers, video game consoles and more. That cost was then passed on to the residents, who had to pay for each item the Sanitation Department took for them. Mastrangelo said if someone wanted to get rid of an entire computer — with a central processing unit, monitor, keyboard, mouse and printer — it would cost them upwards of $40. “They weren’t happy,” Mastrangelo said. “We didn’t want to charge the residents.”

However, he said that there were few other options for people to legally dispose of their electronic waste. The Town of Hempstead runs about a half-dozen “E-Cycling” events every year.

“There was really nothing we could do but provide a place for them to bring it, until this program came along,” Mastrangelo said.

The new program is a agreement with We Recycle, a Vermont-based company, which actually pays the village for the electronic waste it collects. Mastrangelo said the cost is nominal — 22 cents per pound for computers and 3 cents per pound for televisions and other electronics. But, it’s a lot better to make a little money, than have to pay money, Mastrangelo said.

It will also take garbage out of the waste stream, Mayor Ed Fare explained. Some people would hide their electronic waste in their household garbage, to avoid the $7.50 fee, or because they didn’t know how to properly dispose of it. Now, he said, the village will take it for free, and it will reduce the amount of garbage that costs $96 a ton to haul away from the sanitation yard on Arlington Avenue.

The village has already started to fill a huge container at its public works facility with old electronic items. Mastrangelo said that he plans to have a truck go out at least once a week to pick up electronic waste from people’s homes. If the demand increases, he’ll send his crews out even more frequently.

Mastrangelo said that the deal with We Recycle has been in the works for about five months, after representatives from the company reached out to village officials. And Jamaica Ash was accommodating in letting the village find another hauler for electronic waste.

Fare said that he would like everyone in the village to take advantage of this electronic waste recycling program, including residents, business and school districts. He said that it could be especially beneficial for the schools which often replace a large number of computers at one time.

Village Trustee John Tufarelli said he believes many people are environmentally conscious, and may have these items sitting in their home ready to be thrown out, but haven’t done it because of the dangers. “Now they know they have a place where it’s going to be safe,” he said.

Mastrangelo said that We Recycle will automatically wipe out the hard drives of any computer it accepts. For a small fee, he said, the company will provide paperwork documenting that this was done.

This new program, Mastrangelo said, is going to be a great asset to the village and its residents. “We’re the only municipality that has this service to the residents and that’s the collection of this material weekly,” he said. “Valley Stream is very conscious of recycling, because recycling saves money. This is just one more step.”

How to dispose of your electronic waste:

Call the Sanitation Department at (516) 825-8018 to request a special pick-up, or drop off these items between 7 a.m. and 2 p.m. at the sanitation facility on Arlington Avenue.

A special drop-off day will be held on Saturday, April 14 at the Village Green.

Electronic items that can be recycled include computers and components, printers, fax machines, televisions, VCRs, DVD players, video game consoles and cell phones. Batteries are not accepted.