DSNY workers picking up e-waste at an event (DSNY)
Oct. 31, 2017 By Nathaly Pesantez
The city has expanded its free curbside electronic waste collection program to Greenpoint and other parts of North Brooklyn, becoming the first area outside of Staten Island that allows for residents to schedule on-demand pick-ups for e-waste.
The announcement, made on Oct. 26, lets residents from parts of North Brooklyn, spanning from Greenpoint to Ditmas Village, make appointments to have the Department of Sanitation pick up items like televisions, laptops, printers, and portable digital music players from the curb.
The city says the expanded waste collection program, which began on Staten Island last year, will be an easier, environmentally-friendly way for people to properly recycle unwanted e-waste as opposed to carrying items to a drop-off site or waiting for a disposal event.
“Electronics are a growing portion of our waste stream, and it’s critical that we offer convenient options for residents to properly recycle these potentially hazardous products,” said Sanitation Commissioner Kathryn Garcia in a statement.
Residents living in buildings with one to nine units can make appointments up to two weeks in advance for curbside pick-ups online or by calling 311. An appointment slot is selected from a list of options, along with the number and type of electronic items to be collected, to not exceed 20.
Electronic waste items should then be placed on the curb line the evening before their confirmed collection day. The DSNY, which wipes computer hard drives, recommends that residents to remove all private information from electronic items before pickup.
The e-waste items are then collected in a specialized truck and consolidated in a central facility, where they are eventually transported to a regional recycling facility.
The creation and expansion of the e-waste curbside program follows a state law enacted in 2015 that banned the city from collecting electronic waste as refuse. The measure is a step toward keeping toxins associated with electronic items from polluting the air, soil, and water, and helps recycle salvageable materials.
The on-demand program is expected to reach the rest of Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx by fall 2019.
Residents in buildings with more than 10 units have the option of participating in e-cycleNYC, a free in-building collection program that started in 2013. Landlord and tenants interested in enrolling can visit the DSNY’s ecycleNYC page for more information.
For a list of items that can be collected in the expanded curbside e-waste collection program, see the DSNY’s zero waste page. North Brooklyn neighborhoods participating in the program can be viewed in the e-waste pick-up request site.
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