Taking out the electronic trash

E-waste — old computers, televisions and cell phones — is growing at three times the rate of regular garbage, and contains hazardous materials that, if disposed of improperly, can impact the air we breathe and the water we drink. That’s why East Rockaway officials are ahead of the curve when it comes to recycling e-waste, which not only benefits the environment, but saves the village money.

E-waste, or electronic waste, describes any obsolete, discarded or broken electronic devices. According to John Keating, superintendent of the East Rockaway Department of Public Works, e-waste accounts for 70 percent of the toxic waste currently found in landfills. Electronics contain mercury and lead, Keating said, which, left in a landfill, can contaminate soil as well as drinking water.

With that in mind, the village signed a one-year, renewable contract with eRevival LLC, a New Jersey-based company that recycles electronic waste and removes its contaminants. “They’ll extract the dangerous elements,” Keating said. “It’s environmentally safe and the way to go.”

Keating noted that residents who have e-waste can call the DPW, and the village will pick it up on Thursdays. Those who have a small volume of the waste — batteries, for instance — can drop it off at DPW headquarters, at 85 Williamson St., Keating said.

Village Administrator John Mirando said that taking the electronic trash out of the village’s waste stream will not only help the environment, but save the village money. East Rockaway pays for garbage pickup by the ton, Mirando said, so the removal of e-trash will lighten the load and reduce the cost of pickup. “If we can reach five tons [of e-waste], we would break even,” he said. “I think we’ll reach that point.”

Mirando noted that the village will pay eRevival $350 per container of e-waste, and the company will pick up the first container in the next two weeks. East Rockaway DPW workers will gather the waste and drop it in a dumpster at DPW headquarters, he said. eRevival will then truck that dumpster to New Jersey, leaving an empty dumpster behind.