Electronics are valuable, until they’re not. Then they’re a problem.
Many contain toxic chemicals and heavy metals that can cause environmental troubles, making them difficult to dispose of.
Hard drives and other memory devices in desktops, laptops, tablets and cell phones can also contain sensitive information that you might not want to put on the curb.
Luckily there are many places that will take your electronics off your hands, and some that will effectively wipe clean the memory on some devices. Here are a few suggestions.
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The local affiliates of Keep America Beautiful are a good place to start. They include Keep DeKalb Beautiful, Keep Atlanta Beautiful, and Gwinnett Clean and Beautiful.
Peggy Dendy, executive director of Keep Atlanta Beautiful, said her group began recycling electronics in 2008 and recently celebrated collecting their millionth pound.
Denby's organization recycles electronics once a month at two locations in Buckhead and in the Old Fourth Ward. Go here for more information. There is a charge for CRT monitors and televisions but most electronics can be recycled free of charge.
Denby also suggested using Earth911.com to find other recycling centers.
E-Recycle USA (at 770-416-1628) will recycle computers, monitors, laptops, copiers, mainframes, disc drives, cables, telephones, CD players, photo systems, modems, printed circuit boards VCRs, projectors, power supplies, fax machines, keyboards, networking equipment and other items.
The Tucker-based company will pick up equipment for a charge, starting at $75, or you can bring it by during business hours.
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Staples (check out their website for a store near you) has stores throughout the metro area, and some of the items that the chain store will recycle for free are listed below. Staples also offers trade-ins on some electronics, such as mobile phones, iPods, tablets and laptops.
Staples recycles cable/satellite receivers, calculators, camcorders, CD/DVD/Blu-ray players, computers, speakers, copiers, cordless phones, digital cameras, digital projectors, e-Readers, external hard drives, fax machines, gaming devices, GPS devices, iPods / MP3 players, keyboards, laptops, mouses, mobile phones, modems, monitors, printers, routers, scanners, shredders, small servers, stereo receivers, tablets, battery backup devices, video streaming devices and other items.
Also, Recyclenation recycles some things that you would be surprised are recyclable, such as CDs and DVDs.
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