DSNY’s E-waste Collection Program Reaches Milestone

The City of New York Department of Sanitation (DSNY) has announced that 100,000 e-waste items have been collected, and properly recycled, in its curbside e-waste collection program.

City residents cannot dispose of unwanted televisions, computers and other e-waste with their trash and recycling due to New York State laws. Electronics often contain valuable materials, like gold and copper, as well as harmful materials, including lead, mercury and cadmium. Recycling electronic waste not only keeps these toxins from polluting the air, soil and water, but it also reduces energy and water use associated with manufacturing new materials.

DSNY’s on-demand collection program provides residents with an easy option for properly disposing of unwanted e-waste items. Residents can request curbside pickup of their covered items online or with a phone call to 311.

DSNY’s curbside e-waste collection program began as a pilot on Staten Island in October 2016 and has since expanded to include Brooklyn and parts of Queens.

“Electronics have no place in our waste stream. They contain both valuable resources and potentially harmful materials, and city and state law require that they be recycled properly,” said Sanitation Commissioner Kathryn Garcia in a statement. “We are pleased to celebrate this milestone of 100,000 electronic items collected in our curbside program. Council member Matteo was instrumental in bringing the curbside electronic waste collection program to Staten Island, and thanks to his dedication and the support of residents on Staten Island and now in parts of Brooklyn and Queens, we are able to provide residents with another way of safely and easily disposing of their unwanted electronics.”

“The curbside collection of electronic waste has been crucial for Staten Island and our city as a whole,” said minority leader Steven Matteo in a statement. “Before we instituted this curbside pickup recycling program, e-waste either ended up in our landfills or being dumped in our borough’s natural areas. We needed a way to protect our environment and give residents an easy way to dispose of their old electronics, and we were lucky to have a willing and able partner in Sanitation Commissioner Kathryn Garcia. Together, we worked to resolve this problem step-by-step, and now, what was originally a pilot program for Staten Island is well on its way to helping New Yorkers across this city. Exceeding 100,000 electronic items collected is proof that this program is both popular and effective, and I look forward to the continued partnership with [DSNY] in improving the quality of life of us all.”

“We are honored to be part of this constructive collaboration and this historic and successful partnership with Staten Island and the great city of New York,” said John Shegerian, co-founder and executive chairman of Electronic Recyclers International, in a statement. “The curbside pickup program and its 100,000 devices collected are yet another advancement and added convenience to a residential program that already regularly provides responsible, effective recycling for millions of New Yorkers’ electronic waste. It’s a humbling and rewarding experience to be able to help so many in our city do the right thing and collect and responsibly recycle their e-waste—the fastest growing waste stream in the world today—and keep toxic electronics out of New York landfills!”

Items included in the curbside e-waste collection program include:

Other options for residents include the e-cycleNYC program, which brings units convenient, in-building collection boxes to residents in apartment buildings with 10 or more units. New Yorkers can also donate working electronics through donateNYC and can recycle unwanted electronics at household hazardous waste drop-off sites and SAFE Disposal Events in all five boroughs.