Banned Items:

Although the use of electronic devices like computers and TVs enhances our lives, they can pose a big problem when they no longer work. Electronic equipment contains significant amounts of many hazardous substances like arsenic, lead, mercury, vinyl chloride, benzene, PCBs, cadmium, and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs).

These substances are not safe to place in landfills. WLSSD has banned electronic waste from disposal in the trash. In 2006, the State of Minnesota also specifically banned cathode ray tubes from disposal in trash.

MN State Statute 115A.9565

Effective July 1, 2006, a person may not place in mixed municipal solid waste an electronic product containing a cathode-ray tube. A Cathode-Ray Tube (CRT) is the display device used in most computer monitors and televisions.

So where do I recycle my TVs, computers and other electronics?

The WLSSD Materials Recovery Center accepts some small electronics from residents for free and others for either $2 or $5 each.

Item	NEW LOWER Price
Small Electronics: Keyboard, Mouse, Digital Cameras, Rechargeable Batteries	FREE
CPUs (computer towers), Laptops, Printers, Scanners, Fax Machines	$2 each
Video Equipment with Screens 7" or larger, all TVs and Monitors	$5 each

There are also several other local businesses that recycle electronics for a fee.

Will my old (analog) TV be obsolete when the digital broadcasts begin in 2009?

Older televisions will still be usable after the February 2009 switch to digital broadcast signal IF they have been fitted with a converter box. Those televisions do not need to become waste. For more information about receiving a discount coupon for a converter box, visit this site. For more information about the broadcast changes, visit www.dtv.gov.

What if I have old business electronics?

Businesses have several options in the Duluth area for proper management of their electronic equipment. There are several local businesses that will manage e-waste.

For Minnesota state rules regarding business electronic waste, go to the MPCA E-waste recycling page

Electronics Recyclers

Following is a listing of local area e-waste recyclers: