Waste electronics recycling at Peterson Air Force Base

Published Feb. 17, 2015
By 21st Civil Engineer Squadron Environmental Flight

PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. -- Effective July 1, 2013, the "Electronics Recycling Jobs Act" prohibited the disposal of waste electronic devices in Colorado. The law bans the disposal of waste electronic devices at solid waste landfills. Waste electronic devices include television sets, computer central processing units, computer monitors, peripherals, printers, fax machines, laptops, notebooks, ultra books, net books, electronic tablets, DVD players, VCRs, radios, stereos, video game consoles and video display devices with viewing screens greater than four inches diagonally.

Since the law came into effect, Peterson AFB has been accepting waste electronic devices at the recycling yard, and arranging for an electronics recycling company off base to pick up them up. Costs were paid out of the Peterson Qualified Recycling Program. However, a number of television sets have been picked up by scavengers recently, recyclable material removed, and the picture tubes left at the recycling yard, damaged and broken. These tubes must then be removed as hazardous waste at great expense to the base.

Due to rising costs of disposing of these damaged televisions and scavenged picture tubes, the Peterson AFB Recycling Yard will no longer accept televisions. Government purchased televisions and monitors must be taken to Defense Logistics Agency at Fort Carson. Personal televisions can be taken to one of the local businesses listed below at the owners' expense.

The 21st Civil Engineer Squadron Environmental Flight will still sponsor waste electronic device turn-ins on base. These events will be held on Earth Day, America Recycles Day and Energy Day. The events will be advertised in advance with dates and times for waste electronic turn-in.

For information contact Phil Chase, Peterson Pollution Prevention manager, at 556-7707.

Area organizations offering electronics recycling. Contact the business for any fee required.
Best Buy (597-9519), Blue Star Recyclers (597-6119), Community Intersections Electronics Recycling Center (219-3996), El Paso County HHWF (no larger than 19" - call 520-7878), MacSuperstore (434-4770), Peak Disposal & Recycling (481-2340), Recycle Depot (219-0679), Staples (487-0568), and Western Scrap Processing Co. (390-7986).

TV, electronics recycling