FOR IMMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 18, 2007

 

Media Contacts:

Allison Martin, 574-1909 / 432-3564

Linda Fountain, 574-4241 / 710-9558

www.LouisvilleKy.gov

 

 

 

Mayor Announces Expansion of Electronics Recycling

 

 

CyberCycle program now accepts televisions – diverting toxic waste from dump  

 

 

LOUISVILLE (April 18, 2007) – Mayor Jerry Abramson today announced that the city will now accept televisions through CyberCycle, its electronics recycling program.  The televisions will be processed to save glass and plastic, valuable metals will be reclaimed, and the sets will have new life as fiberglass and insulated wire.  If the televisions are still in good working order, they are donated to nonprofits and community groups.

 

“I am pleased to offer this program at no charge to residents through our e-scrap recycling center,” Abramson said.  “We took a closer look at this issue after residents began adding TV sets in several rooms of their homes and trading in big screens for flat screens.  There is no reason these items should be processed as waste when they can be recycled.”  

 

 

Last year more than 15,000 televisions weighing 375 tons ended up in the city’s landfill.  The new program is expected to save the city thousands of dollars in landfill costs and will keep harmful chemicals such as cadmium, lead, mercury and chromium from being deposited in the landfill.

 

 

Louisville is the first city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky to offer electronic recycling for residents and the first to accept televisions for recycling on a year-round basis.

 

 

“We want to change the habits of our residents and get them thinking about the possibilities of recycling,” Abramson said.  “There is no reason residents should put old computers and televisions on the curb for junk pickup day when these items can be recycled.”

 

 

The city will no longer accept televisions or other electronic equipment in junk pickups.  If residents do put electronics out on the curb during the quarterly pickups, Louisville Metro Division of Solid Waste Management employees will ensure they are processed for recycling.

 

 

“We believe the decision by Metro Louisville’s CyberCycle program to begin accepting televisions for recycling – adding to its list of recyclable waste electronics – is progressive and commendable,” said Secretary Teresa Hill, Kentucky Environmental and Public Protection Cabinet.  “As Kentucky’s first year-round, municipally run e-scrap collection program and a collector of large volumes of e-scrap, CyberCycle is a model for

other cities and states.”

 

 

In addition to television sets residents may also recycle the following electronic items through CyberCycle:

 

DVD players & DVDs

Stereos & CDs

Computers

Keyboards

Monitors

Printers

Scanners

Computer disks           

Fax machines

Gaming systems

Copiers

Cell phones

Cameras

 

Since the city launched the CyberCycle program in June 2004, residents have recycled more than 615 tons of electronic equipment saving more than $13,000 in landfill costs.

 

 

Louisville Metro residents can recycle up to three electronic items per visit at no charge.  Items can be dropped off at the Louisville Metro Waste Reduction Center, 636 Meriwether Avenue, Tuesdays through Fridays 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturdays 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

 

 

Televisions and other electronic equipment from businesses and nonprofit groups are accepted by appointment only.  Businesses will be charged 20 cents per pound and nonprofit organizations will be charged 10 cents per pound.  These fees will help defray program costs related to shipping and proper disposal.   

 

 

Additional information about Louisville’s recycling opportunities can be found by calling MetroCall 311 or by visiting www.LouisvilleKy.gov/solidwaste.