City to Host the First of Many Saturday E-Waste Collection Events
Residents can dispose of common, hard-to-get-rid-of items like computers, TVs and batteries.
PHOTO COURTESY OF SHUTTERSTOCK
If getting rid of some tough-to-dispose-of items is part of your spring cleaning to-do list, the City of Pittsburgh has got you covered.
City officials announced this week that the first of many Saturday collection events will take place from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on March 21 at Pittsburgh Environmental Services. It will give city residents the opportunity to safely dispose of some items that cannot be put out with regular trash pickup, among them computers and laptops; paints, oils and antifreeze; lightbulbs and batteries and propane cylinders.
Additional drop-off events will take place at Hazelwood Green on May 6, at Carnegie Mellon University on July 18 and at the Brookline Rec Center on Sept. 12.
Pre-registration is required in order to reduce wait time and control traffic flow. After completing the online registration form, participants will receive an email confirmation, as well as text and email reminders ahead of the event.
While it is free to dispose of laptops and computers, there are fees affiliated with more complex items. Fees are calculated on a pound-by-pound basis and vary per item, and only credit or debit cards can be accepted. Event organizers say they are unable to accept cash or checks.
Fees will be calculated based on the following:
- Computers and laptops: free
- All other e-waste, including TVs: $0.35 per pound.
- Paints, oils and antifreeze: $0.35 per pound.
- Universal waste, such as batteries and lightbulbs: $0.55 per pound.
- Aerosols, acids, caustics, pesticides and poisons: $1.30 per pound.
- Oxidizers, chlorine products and organic peroxides: $3.25 per pound.
- Propane cylinders: $8 each
- Devices that contain mercury: $35 per pound.
City officials also ask participants to abide by a few rules to keep things running smoothly: All items should be loaded into a trunk, back hatch or in the bed of a pickup truck. Follow all signs and traffic cones, as they will direct you to the designated drop-off area. Smoking is prohibited while onsite, and your materials must be unloaded by the contractor and placed on a scale visible to you. Once items are weighed, you will be advised of the fees due; a staff member will come to your window to take payment.
All chemicals must also be clearly labeled and securely sealed, and containers greater than 5 gallons in size are not able to be accepted at these collection events.
Accepted items include TVs, computers, AC units, gasoline and kerosine, various types of paints, pesticides and weed killers, various types of cleaners, lightbulbs, batteries and more. Explosive materials, ammunition, syringes and medical waste are among the items that are prohibited at the city’s collection events.
A full list of accepted and prohibited items can be found online.
