Wisconsin Event Collects 236,000-Plus Pounds of Electronics

Televisions accounted for 55 percent of the material by weight.

Nearly 2,000 residents of southeastern Wisconsin visited the Wisconsin State Fair grounds Saturday, March 14, to drop off more than 236,000 pounds of electronics during a collection event hosted by the City of Milwaukee and Keep Greater Milwaukee Beautiful and sponsored by Samsung.

 

Televisions accounted for 55 percent by weight of the electronics collected for recycling, according to a press release from the City of Milwaukee.

 

CRT Processing LLC is processing the material at its Janesville, Wis., facility. 

 

The equipment collected on March 14 at State Fair Park filled 18 semi-trailers plus another truck, exceeding expectations by about 50 percent, according to event organizers.

 

“The extreme popularity of the event is a great illustration of the need for increased opportunities for recycling electronics,” Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett says. 

 

Wisconsin State Sen. Mark Miller has introduced Senate Bill 107 (www.legis.state.wi.us/senate/sen16/news/Issues/Electronics_Recycling.asp), which would require manufacturers to provide for the collection and recycling of electronic equipment that they sell in Wisconsin. The bill is modeled after a similar law in Minnesota and would establish recycling quotas based on a manufacturer’s market share and allows for the sale or banking of recycling credits that exceed these goals.

 

“Samsung’s sponsorship of the March 14th event shows how some manufacturers are stepping up to develop the infrastructure that they will need to fulfill their responsibilities under the proposed law,” says Rick Meyers, recycling specialist for the City of Milwaukee.