LG Co-Sponsors Okla. eCycling Events July 30

TWICE Staff -- TWICE, 7/20/2011

Norman, Okla. - LG Electronics and Waste Management Recycle America, a subsidiary of  Waste Management, are hosting free eCycling events in Norman and Shawnee, Okla., on July 30.

As part of the Keep America Beautiful and Keep Oklahoma Beautiful programs, these events offer residents an opportunity to give life to their old residential electronic equipment in an environmentally sound manner that is free, convenient and secure, the companies said.  

During this one-day, two-city event there will be two designated eCycling drop-off sites across the state, in Norman and Shawnee. Residents are encouraged to drop off and recycle their electronics between 7: 30  a.m. and 1 p.m. on Saturday, July 30, at Marc Heitz Chevrolet, 1221 Ed Noble Parkway in Norman or from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Direct Colors, 430 E 10th St. in Shawnee.  To make recycling of electronic products easy and convenient at the eCycling drop-off locations, residents will not even need to get out of their vehicles.  The eCycling crew members will collect all acceptable electronic products from trunks or pickup beds.  Products not acceptable for eCycling will be left in the vehicles, the companies said.

There are more than 5 million tons of electronics sitting in basements, closets and drawers across the country, with 2 million new tons added to the waste stream each year, the companies said.  According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, e-waste is the fastest growing segment of the nation's waste stream, they added, and  by recycling old electronic products, useful materials such as glass, plastic and metal can be re-used in the manufacture of other products.

Acceptable items to be recycled during both events are computers/CPUs, computer monitors and peripherals, printers, fax machines, keyboards, photocopiers, TVs, VCRs, stereos, home and office telephones, cellphones and other assorted CE products.

Unacceptable items are microwave ovens, smoke alarms and detectors, fire alarms and detectors, thermometers, dehumidifiers, large major appliances, non-decontaminated medical equipment, and any unit with sludge or liquids.