County junks high-tech garbage
Community Pride Week May 26-31

By Scott Nicholson

The “Electronics Age” has generated not just the era of instant communication and finger-tip information, but it’s also generated its own brand of high-tech garbage.

Watauga County is responding by advancing its recycling program to collect electronic equipment and batteries, reducing potential toxic waste and conserving natural resources.

Watauga County recycling coordinator Lisa Doty said an estimated 4 percent of the nation’s municipal solid waste stream is electronic gear and may contain a variety of materials that require special handling, including batteries, lead, mercury and cadmium. North Carolina passed legislation in 2007 that will effectively ban computer equipment from disposal in landfills in 2012.

The month of May will bring special focus to the waste, with the county scheduling a special collection day on Fri., May 30, as part of “Community Pride Week.” Items, such as computers, monitors, printers, computer accessories, laptops, televisions, VCR/DVD players, phones, fax machines and other equipment can be dropped off.

The county has contracted with Synergy Recycling to handle the collected material, and the company makes “safe and responsible” scrap recovery and recycling one of the cornerstones of its business. This helps ensure the equipment and materials have a good afterlife and the toxic waste is handled appropriately.

On May 31, a Hazardous Waste Collection Day is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Paint, household batteries, antifreeze, gasoline, lighter fluid, solid or liquid pesticides, oxidizers, used oils, household cleaners and other materials will be collected at no charge. County residents can also drop off appliances, tires, furniture, scrap metal, asphalt, brick, cement, rock or brush at no charge, though shingles and stumps won’t be accepted.

All the county’s recycling convenience centers will now have collection bins for household batteries.

The county’s solid waste facility is on 336 Landfill Road just east of Boone off U.S. 421. For more information on recycling, call Doty at (828) 265-4852.