People lined up outside the United Bank branch in Bristol to drop off old electronics like TV's and computers. NBC Connecticut partnered with Green Monster E-Cycling out of West Hartford, Energize Connecticut and United Bank for three hours Saturday morning to provide an environmentally friendly way for people to get rid of their unwanted electronic items.
“We have TV’s, computers, CD players, VCR’s, everything we have. We’re moving and this was ideal! We didn’t know what we were going to do with all our electronics,” said Debra Johnson of Derby.
With a crash, old electronics got tossed, and houses got rid of the extra items that had been piling up for years.
“When you have your computers, printers and televisions recycled in Connecticut’s infrastructure, you’re actually making sure that these materials go back into commerce to be used again,” said Diane Duva with DEEP.
According to Connecticut law, you can no longer leave electronics on the side of the road for trash pick-up.
“You can’t leave TV’s, CRT’s, computers and printers on the side of the road,” said Joe Galiatsatos, CEO and President of Green Monster E-Cycling.
Instead, Green Monster E-Cycling will take them, break them down and recycle the materials. For computers, that means going as far as destroying the hard drives that may have sensitive information.
“I had already done that, but it’s nice to know that they’ll do that as well,” said Mickey Goldwasser of Bristol.
The drive provided a convenient way for many to finish up their spring cleaning.
“Two computers, actually a tower computer and a television that was haunted. It just kept turning on by itself and we decided we didn’t want it anymore!” said Martha Kurilec of Wethersfield.
If you couldn’t make it to the drive, you can still get rid of your old electronics by seeing when your town has pick-ups. You can find more information at www.ct.gov/deep/e-waste.
To get in contact with Green Monster E-Cycling, visit www.greenmonsterecycling.com.
