In year two of the Vermont E-Cycles Program, we have together collected over 2.3 million pounds, equaling over 7.1 million pounds of electronics recycled since the program started in July 1st, 2011, at no charge to Vermonters.
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The Northeast Resource Recovery Association is pleased to have been awarded the contract to administer the State of Vermont’s E-Cycles program. NRRA has worked with Goodpoint Recycling of Middlebury,Vermont as a primary recycler to begin the process of collection. The Vermont State E-Cycles Program provides free drop-off for the collection of computers, monitors, televisions, printers, and computer peripherals (e.g., mouse, keyboard, scanner) from Vermont Households, 501c3 Charities, School Districts and Small Businesses with 10 or fewer employees at year-round collection sites statewide.
As of today, over 90 collection sites have registered, (click here for map of collection locations) offering a convenient drop off locations as required by the State Standard Plan. To date, the Program has collected more than 7.1 million pounds of recyclable electronic devices. NRRA will be working to provide outreach and training materials to each of the collections sites and will have a strong component for school programs as it has done over its 30 year history.
Throughout this process NRRA has worked hard to balance the competing interests of the general public for a convenient system, the recyclers who process the material, and most of all the collectors at transfer facilities who deal with the material on a daily basis. NRRA has worked in collaboration with the Agency for Natural Resources in Vermont to insure that the system will be transparent, accurate, and as simple to operate as possible.While the Vermont contract requires recyclers to securely destroy private information on hard drives, there are other options to protect and erase data before it is left at an intermediate collection point. Bringing it directly to the recycling facility in Middlebury for free destruction is just one option. Many other Vermont recyclers offer data destruction services to covered entities. Ultimately, because drop-off centers are public, it is the responsibility of the owner of the electronic device to ensure the security of any personal data on the device. To learn more about how to keep information on your computer safe before you drop it off at a collection location, visit www.vtecycles.org or call 1-855-6 ECYCLE (1-855-632-9253).
NRRA will continue to work to improve the initial system where possible, and for those of you in Vermont who have questions, please contact Norm Staunton, NRRA Vermont E-waste Project Manager at 1-800-223-0150 x19, or check out our Frequently Asked Questions page! You can also email any questions to vtewaste@nrra.net . For general inquires and questions from the general public about where to recycle electronics, what is covered, and other questions, please contact the VT Department of Environmental Conservation’s special E-Cycles hot-line at 1-855-6-E CYCLES (1-855-632-9253).
For an up-to-date list of the locations accepting electronics under the plan, please click here. If your facility would like to become a collector under the Vermont E-Waste Program, please check out the guidelines for getting started.
