The City of Allentown Bureau of Recycling & Solid Waste is offering an opportunity for city residents to recycle electronic devices this Saturday, February 1 from 1pm to 3 pm at the Yard Waste Site at Fish Hatchery Road and Oxford Drive.

State law bans these covered devices from landfills and requires manufacturers who sell these items in Pennsylvania to pay for the recycling of these items at no cost to the resident. The city likewise updated its municipal solid waste ordinance to be in compliance with state law by banning the disposal of these items along with the trash and requiring that they be recycled appropriately.

The city will accept computers, keyboards, monitors, electronics, printers, scanners, laptops and televisions for recycling. Users bringing electronics will have the convenience of drive-through service. There is a limit of two televisions or one big screen projector television per vehicle. This electronics recycling event is only open to city residents.

Many electronic devices contain heavy metals. According to the U.S Environmental Protection Agency, electronics are among the largest contributors to lead found in landfills. Due to their lead content, cathode ray tubes found in monitors, as well as televisions, are the most toxic components of a computer.

The city will deliver the electronic materials to Com-Cycle, a wholly owned subsidiary of AERC, which is one of the nation’s leading full-service recycling companies and operates two facilities in Allentown. Com-Cycle maintains a Zero Waste-to-Landfill Policy for all its electronic recycling services. Com-Cycle offers secure data destruction of electronic data drives.

Future collection events will be announced at a later date.

The city is also accepting yard waste items at the yard waste site on Saturday, February 1 from 1pm-to-3pm.. It is also for city of Allentown residents only.

For more information, call the Bureau of Recycling & Solid Waste at 610-437-8729 or visit www.allentownrecycles.org.

--30--