A total of 220 tons of e-waste was collected either at permanent sites or collection events in the U.P. this year. That is a 15% increase from last summer. The Lake Superior Watershed Partnership says that increase is from the combination of public education and drop-off opportunities.
U.P. Elective Pay Ambassador Krystle Baecker says the LSWP has worked throughout the summer to bring pop-up collection sites to as many locations as possible. “Throughout the summer, we’ll travel to different towns, trying to hit a wide range, and we’ll spend part of a day there where anyone that’s located in that area can come and drop off all their electronic waste,” Baecker says.
Steve Noble is the electronic recycling specialist at the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy. He says collection events are useful if you can’t get to a disposal site.