March 19th Decatur Electronics Recycling Event

For those of you in the Atlanta area, it's time for the City of Decatur's bi-annual Electronics Recycling day.  Bring your old cell phones, cameras, PC components and other outdated and unused electronic equipment to the Decatur High School parking lot from 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 19th.  The lot for drop-offs is located at the corner of N. McDonough Street and W. Howard Avenue.

Electronics dropped off will be sorted and broken down into raw materials and sent to recyclers for reuse.  In addition to electronics, you may drop off batteries of any type, Styrofoam peanuts, clean Styrofoam blocks free of foreign objects, mercury thermometers and thermostats.

Televisions may also be recycled for a $10 cash-only fee per TV with exact change.  There is no charge to recycle other items.

Recyclables must be dropped off between 9 a.m. - 1:00 on Saturday.  Early drop-offs are not possible.  Almost anything with an electrical cord can by recycled except microwave ovens.  For more information including a full list of recyclables allowed and last-minute updates, visit www.decaturga.com/electronicsrecycling.

I take advantage of this recycling opportunity often and can attest to the fact that it's a very well run event.  You'll be in and out in no time!

Decatur Electronics Recycling Day

 For those of you who live in the metro-Atlanta area, the City of Decatur is hosting its bi-annual electronics recycling day on Saturday, October 30 from 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. at the Decatur High School parking lot at the corner of N. McDonough Street and Howard Avenue.  The event is open to anyone, not just residents of Decatur.


Bring in your old cell phones, cameras, PCs, printers, stereos, DVD players, and other electronics instead of sending them into the landfills where they may leak mercury and lead.   You can even bring in televisions for a nominal fee of $10.  All electronics dropped off will be sorted and disassembled into raw materials or cleaned for re-use.  Batteries of any type may also be dropped off.

Almost anything with an electrical cord can be recycled at the event EXCEPT microwave ovens, furniture, light fixtures, large household appliances, lamps, or vacuum cleaners. 


For additional information about the event, please call Sean Woodson at 678-898-8562.  

Decatur Electronics Recycling Day Postponed

The City of Decatur announced the cancellation and rescheduling of the March 28, 2009 Electronics Recycling Day due to heavy rains and lightening over the weekend. Because the event is held outdoors , the severe weather made it a safety hazard for the workers and volunteers.

Electronics Recycling Day has been rescheduled for Saturday, April 25 from 9:00 a.m. - 1 p.m. in the Decatur High School parking lot. Visit www.decaturga.com for a complete list of electronic items that may be recycled and for more details about the event. You may also call (404) 377-5571 for information.

Recyclng Electronics

When I am organizing my clients, they'll often have old televisions, computers, monitors and other electronics that they've never gotten rid of because they aren't sure of the best, most environmentally friendly disposal options.

Here are a few suggestions for folks in the Atlanta area:

• The City of Decatur hosts its Electronics Recycling event in the spring and the fall of each year. This year's spring event is coming up next weekend on March 28. Bring your old televisions, computers, fax machines, telephones, stereo equipment, electric lawn equipment, etc. to the Decatur High School parking lot from 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. They are even recycling clean Styrofoam and old batteries. Note that there is a charge of $10 (exact change requested) for television donations. For a more detailed list of acceptable donations, go to http://www.decaturga.com/cgs_citysvcs_sfm_electronics.aspx.

• Keep Atlanta Beautiful has partnered with Atlanta Public Schools to provide e-waste recycling drop-off centers in the City of Atlanta. They have kicked off a program at Grady High School which gives students and local neighbors a permanent location to recycle old electronics every third Saturday of the month. The drop-off location is currently at the 8th Street parking lot across from Grady. For more information and a detailed list of acceptable donations, click here.
  

• A company that my husband has used for computer repair, HM Solutions Incorporated, recently sent us an email saying, "If you have any computer equipment you do not use, please contact us. We will take your old equipment, recondition it, and donate it to a worthy cause, whether it be an underprivileged individual or to a family who cannot afford a computer." For more information about this program, please contact Bobby Sahij at bobby@hmsolutionsinc.com.

These are just a few of the electronics recycling opportunities available. Google "Electronics Recycling" and include your city or county name, and you'll find even more convenient options.

Electronics Recycling Day

Twice a year in my hometown of Decatur, the city hosts their Electronics Recycling Day. If you live nearby, dig out your old electronic items and take them to the Decatur High School Parking Lot (corner of N. McDonough Street and Howard Avenue) this Saturday, March 29 from 9 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Here's just a sample of what you can recycle: desktop or laptop computers, telephones and telephone equipment, mini-towers, monitors, typewriters, label makers (it's so sad when these old friends die), copiers, mice (not the kind that like cheese, please), fax machines, joystick game controllers, answering machines, printers and cartridges, digital cameras, zip drives, speakers, PDAs, pagers, VCRs, DVD players, routers, scanners, cable converter boxes, CD players, portable game players, cables, GPS receivers, radios, and stereo equipment. (I am SO asking my husband to get rid of some of those turntables in the attic!)

In addition to electronics, they will also be accepting clean Styrofoam (peanuts, packing boxes, plates, cups, trays), batteries of any type, and mercury thermometers and thermostats. They will not be accepting televisions and microwaves, however.

Electronics dropped off during the event will be sorted to be re-used or disassembled into their raw materials. It is recommended that computers be erased of all personal information prior to disposal at the event.

Last fall, 66 tons of electronics were diverted from the landfill! Note that you don't have to live or work in the city of Decatur to participate. So if you've been meaning to get rid of some of those old electronics from your home and office, this Saturday is the time! I can think of a few clients of mine that could still benefit from this purging opportunity....Come on, you can do it!

And if you'd like to volunteer for the event, please contact Chris Carroll at (404) 388-0023, Scott Thompson at scott.thompson@mindspring.com or the City of Decatur Public Works at (404) 377-5571. Please forward this to anyone who think may have electronics to be recycled.