Feb 28, 2017 3 min read

Greene County residents will have the opportunity again this year to properly dispose of unwanted electronic items, including old televisions, computers and monitors.

Greene County Commissioners and state Rep. Pam Snyder, D-Jefferson, will again sponsor an electronics collection program at Greene County Fairgrounds.

“Last year it worked out really well,” said Mimi Ritenour, the county’s recycling coordinator and fiscal officer for the county Department of Economic Development.

The county held four electronic recycling events last year that served almost 650 residents, Ritenour said. “We were able to keep 91.43 tons of electronics from the waste stream,” she said.

“Both the commissioners and Rep. Snyder agreed this was a good program and they decided to continue it this year,” she said.

State law requires the recycling of certain electronic devices. These items can no longer be disposed of with regular household waste; however, finding companies that will take them has been difficult.

The recycling events at the fairgrounds this year will again be held four times. The first event will be Wednesday, March 29. The other dates are June 14, Aug. 30 and Oct. 18.

Each recycling event will be held from noon to 3 p.m. Last year, the program was from 2 to 5 p.m. but the times were changed with the idea of allowing people to bring their items in on their lunch hours, Ritenour said.

The company that collects the items for the county, JVS Environmental of Rockwood, is unable to hold the programs on weekends and cannot do them in the evening because of the logistics of loading and travel times, she said.

The company will accept most items from residents for free, but there is a $1 charge for each fluorescent and compact fluorescent bulb; and a $15 charge for each items with Freon. Disassembled cathode ray televisions will not be accepted.

Televisions, including cathode ray televisions, will be accepted for free though collection coordinators ask residents to limit disposal of televisions to one per car for each collection event.

Items that will be accepted free include computers, laptop computers, monitors, printers, components, video cassette recorders, cameras, telephones, electronic cables, games, audio, video and testing equipment and calculators.

What will not be accepted include sweepers, hair dryers, sewing machines, small kitchen appliances, speakers, regular light bulbs, alkaline batteries, smoke detector, manuals, paper, Styrofoam and media containing digital data such as VCR tapes, software and compact discs.

Those who bring items to the fairgrounds are asked to use the western entrance on Route 21 and drive to the Rabbit Barn on the east side of the grandstands. Because of liability issues, employees from JVC will remove all items from residents’ vehicles, Ritenour said.