Oregon Reports Sharp Increase in Electronic Scrap Collected

The state of Oregon has reported that through its E-Cycles Program it collected more than 24 million pounds of electronics in 2010, a 27 percent increase from the program’s first year in 2009. The state set a goal of collecting 21.5 million pounds in 2010.

Oregon E-Cycles Program operates through a network of more than 250 collection sites and recycling facilities statewide that accept computers, monitors and television sets from the public for free.

“These figures show this program is working and is effective in handling the vast amount of electronic waste that we all generate and need to dispose of properly,” says Kathy Kiwala, E-Cycles specialist with the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ).

In a release, the state’s DEQ notes that both Oregon and Washington started electronics collection and recycling programs in January 2009. Oregon’s 6.3 pounds-per-capita waste collection rate outpaced Washington’s 5.6 pounds- per-person rate in 2010. Washington, which has nearly twice the population of Oregon, has collected 78 million pounds during its program’s first two years, while Oregon has collected 43 million pounds over the first two years.

Kiwala attributes the increase in the recovery of obsolete electronics to a host of factors, including a ban on disposing computers, televisions and monitors, which went into effect Jan. 1, 2010. Increased awareness of the ban led to increased awareness of Oregon E-Cycles. In addition, consumers’ continued interest in buying flat-screen televisions likely led to the need to discard more outdated television models, adding to the potential electronic scrap supply.