Little did junior Rachael Wilson know that by throwing away her old cell phone when she upgraded, she was leaking hazardous lead, copper, mercury and arsenic into the environment.
But recycling options for old or unwanted electronics are available on campus for safe disposal.
A.S. Recycling will host an electronic waste drop-off from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at the A.S. Recycling warehouse on Fourth and Cherry streets.
Cell phones create almost 65,000 tons of toxic waste every year, according to the Charity Guide Web site.
Wilson did recycle her previous cell phone to the service provider, but only because the store encouraged her to, she said.
"I know you're not supposed to throw away batteries, but I know a ton of people who do," Wilson said. "They do it because they don't know what to do with them otherwise."
If there were outlets available on campus like a drop box for electronics, she would be more likely to recycle them, Wilson said.
The university does employ people to pick up electronic waste from around the campus.
People can contact the Environmental Health and Safety office on campus, and they will pick up the waste, said Kenny Wahl, hazardous materials manager.
Electronic waste refers to unwanted or non-working electronic equipment, and is classified as hazardous waste, according the Environment Health and Safety Web site. There are special regulations for discarding electronic waste, because of the ingredients in the devices.
The most commonly collected items are monitors, keyboards, flash drives, computer drives and anything that has a circuit board, Wahl said.
"As a university, there is a significant amount of electronic waste," he said.
The Environmental Heath and Safety office gets many calls to pick up materials, and after they are picked up, the contents are held in the maintenance yard until the capacity is reached, Wahl said.
"Campus e-waste can be held up to a year, but it is typically not kept that long," he said.
They do not pick up waste at off-campus locations, and the dorm waste is managed by student housing, Wahl said. But the e-waste they do collect goes to Computers for Classrooms, a volunteer program that recycles and refurbishes unwanted computers.
"We don't want it going into the dumpster," he said.
With new phone features available every year, consumers are buying a new phone in less than 18 months, putting more than 125 million cell phones and batteries into landfills each year, according to the Charity Guide Web site.
The electronic device most commonly found in the trash is cell phones, said Adele Pfister, the A.S. Recycling education coordinator.
Other places unwanted electronics can be taken is the A.S. Recycling warehouse or the Butte County Household Hazardous Waste Facility at 1101 Marauder St., she said.
The main purpose and objective electronic waste drive Saturday is to divert electronic waste from the landfill and to reuse computer products through the Computers for Classrooms in Chico, Pfister said.
"Think twice before you throw something in the trash that you might question," she said.
Kristin Chulick can be reached at kchulick@theorion.com
E-waste recycling in Chico
Butte Regional Household Hazardous Waste Facility
1101 Marauder St. Chico, CA 95973 1-866-429-2288
Computers for Classrooms
315 Huss Dr. (Off Hegan) Chico, CA 95928 530-895-4175 530-534-9956
The ARC of Butte County
ARC Thrift Store 2030 Park Ave Chico, CA 95928 530-343-3666
Salvation Army
530-342-2199 Call for a pickup appt.
North Valley Waste Management
2569 Scott Ave. Chico, CA 95928 530-893-4777
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