New Yorkers Can Recycle Their Old Electronics in SoHo This Weekend

SOHO, NY — Ever wonder how to properly dispose of old computers, cellphones, TVs and other electronics that have passed their prime?

Thanks to the Soho Broadway Initiative and the Lower East Side Ecology Center, residents, small businesses and nonprofits will be able to recycle their "e-waste" at upcoming events on Jan. 6 and Jan. 8.

Just show up at the ground floor of 449 Broadway (between Grand and Howard Street) from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. with up to seven large items or medium-sized boxes, and drop them off to be recycled free of charge. (Except for a $50 recycling fee for copy machines and printers over 100 pounds.)

Why should you recycle your electronics?

"E-waste is incredibly toxic to the environment," according to the Lower East Side Ecology Center, "and throwing it away in regular trash ensures that heavy metals like lead, and toxic chemicals could end up in our ground water."

Plus, it’s actually required by law. In New York state, it’s illegal to throw electronic devices in the trash. Sanitation trucks won't pick them up — and if you are caught trying to throw them out, you could be fined up to $100.

If you can't make the SoHo event or any other events, according to Sinyee Tan, Development Director for the Lower East Side Ecology Center, you can drop off your old electronics at the center's holding facility at President and Nevins streets in Gowanus, Brooklyn, which is open five days a week.

Visit LESEcologyCenter.org or contact the SoHo Broadway Initiative at 212.390.1131 with any questions.

Image via Creative Commons