E-cycling event confirmed again this year

It’s time again to scour your home for electronic items you no longer need, but aren’t sure how to dispose of. Crook County Natural Resource District (CCNRD) has announced it will be offering this year’s e-cycling opportunity on August 27, and the first 100 lbs will once again be free.

Properly e-cycling your electronics is important, both for your own digital safety and for the sake of groundwater and the environment, says Bridget Helms, CCNRD.

In terms of personal safety, she points out that CCNRD utilizes ProTech Computing of Gillette to collect and transport items to MeTech Recycling in Denver, an R2-certified facility.

This matters, she explains, because these certifications guarantee your hard drive information is safely destroyed.

While electronic waste only accounts for 2% of the trash found in U.S. landfills, she says, it also accounts for 70% of overall toxic waste.

“When electronic waste is thrown away in landfills, toxic materials seep into groundwater, affecting both land and sea animals. This can also affect the health of the people in the developing countries where most of the electronic waste is dumped,” she says.

“When electronics end up in landfills, toxics like lead, mercury, and cadmium leech into the soil and water. The electronic waste problem is huge: more than 48 million tons of e-waste are produced every year.”

When chemicals leech into the soil, both groundwater and air can be polluted. Recycling, on the other hand, saves space in landfills and prevents the environmental pollution these items can cause.

“Recycling also reduces the need for landfills in the first place,” Helms says.

“Goods made from recycled materials use less water, create less pollution and use less energy.”

CCNRD has offered an annual e-cycling event for the last few years as part of its goals to protect the natural resources of this area. This year will mark the seventh time members of the community have been invited to bring their electronics for disposal.

“The yearly average for collections is 9,000 pounds of electronic waste- and these numbers are steady showing no sign of decline,” Helms says.

CCNRD is primarily grant-funded and provides programs for projects such as forest health, range and water development, soil health improvement and trails improvement.

“Because CCNRD programs are limited by parameters set by grant sponsors and electronics recycling is not grant funded, in 2021 and 2022 the CCNRD has sought sponsors to help with the costs,” Helms says. “For example, an old ‘bubble’ TV or a ‘CRT’ TV would cost around $0.60 a pound to recycle.”

The event has long been supported financially by Sundance and Hulett and those sponsors are joined this year by Sundance State Bank, Powder River Energy, Pinnacle Bank, ONEOK and Neiman Enterprises. Through this, CCNRD is able to again offer the first 100 lbs free, with a discounted rate of $.35 per pound once this limit is reached.

“Gather your electronics now- if it has a cord, it can likely be recycled,” says Helms.

“On collection day, August 27, all you have to do is load your items in your vehicle. In Sundance we will be located at the County Fairgrounds near the Shooting Sports building and in Hulett we will be set up in front of the Town Hall.”

When you arrive at either site, staff and volunteers will help you unload your items to be weighed and will assess any charge you may owe if your total weight is above 100 lbs.

Contact CCNRD with any questions at 307-283-2870 x4 or [email protected].