Electronic waste collection to be held Saturday

COLUMBIA – People looking to get rid of old electronics have an opportunity this weekend.

The Mid-Missouri Solid Waste Management District is hosting a collection of electronic waste from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at the Boone County Fairgrounds at 5215 N. Oakland Gravel Road. The collection is open to residents of Audrain, Boone, Callaway, Cole, Cooper, Howard, Moniteau and Osage counties.

There is a $5 fee for collection of monitors, copy machines, televisions and microwaves. These items are sent to St. Louis to be dismantled by DCAL Services. Other electronics, such as radios, cell phones and cameras can be collected for free and are dismantled by Mid-MO Recycling in Columbia. A full list of items accepted is available on the district's Web site.

Hard drives can be destroyed at the collection upon request for $5 if out of the computer or $10 if the hard drive must be removed.

According to the district's site, most electronics collected are sold wholesale to local computer stores while others are given to non-profit organizations or demanufactured by Mid-MO Recycling.

In the fiscal year 2008, the first electronic waste collections were held and 9.79 tons of electronic waste was collected. Fifteen electronic waste collections were held in the fiscal year 2009 in which 89.19 tons of electronic waste was collected, according to the district’s 2009 annual report. So far three collections in the fiscal year 2010 have resulted in 7.26 tons of e-waste collected.