UW 'E-media' recycling program makes disposal of hazardous electronics easy

For those who have never known what to do with the pile of used CDs, DVDs or batteries in their junk drawer, UW Recycling has implemented an "E-media" recycling initiative that will bring more electronic media recycling bins to various locations on campus.

1. Bloedel Hall, second floor

2. Anderson Hall, main floor

3. Winkenwerder Hall, main floor

4. HUB main hallway

5. University Facilities Building, lower floor

6. Gerberding Hall, basement level

7. CSE - Allen Center main floor

8. Gould Hall second floor

9. Bryant Building, main hallway

10. Publications Services, administrative area

11. William Gates Hall, main floor

12. Art Building Library

13. Hall Health 201 lobby

14. Engineering Library

15. Wilcox Hall, first floor public area

16. Graves Hall lobby

17. South Campus Center second floor

18. HSC J014, Biochemistry Stores

19. HSC B170, South Campus Stores

20. HSC D108, School of Dentistry Stores

21. HSC T Wing, Health Sciences Library

22. HSC Plant Services Stores counter

23. Merrill Hall Library

24. Bagley Hall, Chem stores

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E-media constitutes materials like tapes, CDs, DVDs, batteries, cell phones and ink jet cartridges. According to the WorldWatch Institute, an environmental research organization, more than 45 tons of CDs become obsolete each month, and every year more than 55 million boxes of software go to landfills.

Locations were chosen based on existing need for E-media recycling, said UW Recycling Program Operations Manager Pat Kaufman, who hopes the program will soon expand to other areas.

"The best thing about the program is bringing this convenience to people on campus," Kaufman said. "Previously, people would have to make arrangements to have their materials picked up."

Twenty-four bins will be released this month, ranging from blue bins that will be placed in department and administrative buildings, and larger metal bins that will be seen in common areas, such as the first floor of the HUB.

The project has been in the works for over a year, Kaufman said, and it was put into motion with the help of several other groups on campus.

"This was very much a combined effort from the Department of Environmental Health and Safety, School of Forestry and Earth Club," Kaufman said.

He also credited the recycling programs at the University of California Davis as having been a big inspiration.

At the UC Davis, CDs are reprocessed to extract 20mg of gold and are also imaginatively turned into other objects, like scarecrows, coasters and Christmas tree decorations.

Recyclable materials will be collected once a week at the UW, though collection may increase if needed. Plastic commodities like CDs and DVDs will be sorted and sold to plastic manufacturing companies, while cell phones will be resold to cell phone companies.

Senior and Earth Club member Christine Chan worked with Kaufman in the early stages of the project, and is happy to see it take off.

"Inkjets, cell phones and batteries are such small items, that it's hard to comprehend what a big impact they have on our environment when they are disposed of improperly," she said. "They leak harmful chemicals into the water and take hundreds of years to decompose."

Chan also said she looks forward to the on-campus community taking advantage of the program.

"I hope UW students will take advantage of how easy it is to recycle on our campus."

Reach reporter Arla Shephard at news@thedaily.washington.edu.