STATEN ISLAND — A program that will let residents put electronic waste on the street for pickup will start this month, Councilman Steven Matteo announced.
The program begins on Oct. 17 with a Department of Sanitation crew dedicated to just picking up items like TVs and computers by appointment. Previously they had to drop them off at e-waste facilities.
"Though the goals of the state law on electronic waste recycling are laudable, the onerous rules it imposes make compliance very difficult for some residents," Matteo, who pushed for the program, said in a statement.
"I felt very strongly that we needed a curbside e-waste pickup program to really make e-waste recycling work."
Under the new program, residents who want to discard items like DVD players, video game consoles, cable boxes, TVs, computers and more can call 311 to schedule an appointment for pickup Monday through Friday, Matteo said.
Up to 20 items can be placed outside the night before each pickup and specialists will erase hard drives after collections, though officials still recommend deleting private information beforehand.
The law was started because materials in electronics like lead, cadmium and mercury could contaminate the environment, but could alternatively be used to make a variety of products, the Department of Sanitation said.
Earlier this year, Matteo proposed the curbside pickup pilot, saying it was too hard for some to make the drop off and had caused an increase in illegal dumping. In April, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced he would fund the program.
If successful, the Sanitation Department said they would look into extending it to the rest of the city.
