Grant to Discount 'E-Waste' Disposal

Fayetteville Coupon Program Could Start Within Weeks

— Residents will soon have a new option for disposing old televisions, computers, printers, scanners, stereos, VCRs and other unwanted electronic waste if City Council members decide on Tuesday to accept a $25,000 grant from the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality.

At A Glance

Special Waste Collection

Washington County’s special waste collection site at 2615 Brink Drive in Fayetteville is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 8 a.m. to noon the first Saturday of each month.

For more information, call 479-444-1725, or go to co.washington.ar.us.

Source: Washington County

The grant will help the city’s Solid Waste and Recycling Division launch a coupon redemption program for “e-waste” at Washington County’s special waste collection site, 2615 Brink Drive.

Typically, the county charges $5 for each electronic item brought to the collection site. With the new coupon program, residents can have that fee waived.

“We want to make it to where people don’t have to pay anything if they have a computer or TV they want to get rid of and also raise awareness that this facility’s out there for people to use,” said Brian Pugh, Fayetteville’s waste reduction coordinator.

An increasingly interconnected world has brought the issue of e-waste to many governments’ and businesses’ attention. According to the Department of Environmental Quality, many electronics that are safe when used properly carry lead, mercury and cadmium — elements that can cause harmful groundwater contamination when the materials are compacted at a landfill.

Pugh said it will take city officials at least two weeks to print and begin distributing coupons. The coupons will likely be handed out at promotional events, the mayor’s booth at the Fayetteville Farmers’ Market, schools and to reward volunteers with the city’s recycling program. Pugh said residents will also be able to request coupons directly from the Solid Waste and Recycling Division.

Fayetteville is one of six entities to receive an e-waste grant for 2013. In total, the Department of Environmental Quality awarded $174,865, according to a Dec. 28 news release.

Katherine Benenati, department spokeswoman, said a portion of money generated from the sale of state-owned electronics pays for the grant program.

Washington County’s special waste collection site is not the only option for Fayetteville residents who want to recycle e-waste.

Several businesses and nonprofit groups, including Best Buy, Vaughn Recycling and Goodwill Industries, also accept electronics for free, according to company representatives. Each company has different rules and regulations, however, for what it will accept. Pugh said city and county officials throughout Northwest Arkansas are trying to coordinate a free e-waste recycling event for the spring at Arvest Ballpark in Springdale.

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