7906b3432571311d4e6a57a143228e9f.jpg

Township’s recycling shed fills with detritus of computer age

Two year program termed a great success

By Nick Norlen
Staff Writer
   That Apple IIGS doesn’t have to gather dust in your basement any longer. And the Dell OptiPlex GX100 buried in your garage? It’s time to let it go.
   According to Princeton Township Recycling Coordinator Janet Pellichero, most older computer monitors contain at least four pounds of lead, with the bulkier ones packing as much as eight or nine pounds.
   That’s not to mention the presence of toxic chemicals like zinc and mercury.
   ”There’s a lot of different components that make it a hazardous material,” said Ms. Pellichero. “Oodles of things that you just don’t want sitting in a landfill.”
   That’s why Princeton Township has been working in conjunction with the Mercer County Improvement Authority to make it easier for residents to get rid of their digital dinosaurs in an environmentally friendly way.
   For the past two years, the township has offered a full-time computer recycling program in which residents can simply make an appointment to drop off their antiquated machines, which are then transported by the township to Mercer County’s Household Chemical Waste Day.
   Now, the program has been expanded to include VHS tapes, DVDs, floppy disks, toner and printer cartridges.
   Ms. Pellichero said the computer recycling program has been highly successful.
   The 10-foot by 20-foot Public Works Department shed, where the computers are housed until they’re transported, is almost full with just three month’s worth of drop-offs, she said.
   There have already been 36 appointments this August, and that’s “kind of slow,” Ms. Pellichero said.
   ”It never ceases to amaze me how popular it continues to be,” she said. “We get computers in there that look like (they were) the prototype of the computer. We just shake our head and say, ‘Where have you been keeping it?’ “
   Because there’s no taxpayer money involved — the minimal packing fees are covered by a grant — the program is a win-win situation, she said.
   The incentive for the township is knowing “that they’re property recycled,” she said. “Nothing goes to a landfill. The hard drives are erased.”
   In addition to computers and monitors, the recycling program accepts printers, scanners, cables, modems, external hard drives, keyboards and computer batteries. There’s a limit of two computer systems per household. No business equipment is accepted.
   Residents can make appointments starting Sept. 4 by calling Ms. Pellichero at 609-688-2566, ext. 478. The center is open 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. weekdays.
   Persons who are not Princeton Township residents can recycle their computers by taking them to Mercer County’s next Household Chemical Waste Disposal Day, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sept. 29 at the John T. Dempster Fire School at Bakers Basin and Lawrence Station Road in Lawrence Township.
   More information about requirements and acceptable materials is available by calling the Mercer County Improvement Authority at 609-278-8086.