Recycle Unwanted Electronic Equipment and Shred Old Personal Documents - Scotch Plains

The County of Union is sponsoring a recycling event for electronic equipment and unwanted paper documents today, Saturday, June 9, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Union County Vocational-Technical Schools, 1776 Raritan Road, Scotch Plains 07076.  All Union County residents can get rid of unwanted computers, televisions and other electronic equipment, and shred old personal documents in a secure and environmentally proper manner.

All residents of Union County are eligible to participate at no cost.  There is a limit of six electronic items and/or four bags/boxes of paper per car.

“Computer monitors and old televisions are the source of a considerable amount of lead – about five pounds per screen,” said Freeholder Christopher Hudak, liaison to the Union County Solid Waste Advisory Board.  “Up to 95 percent of most electronic appliances can be recycled.  This is a responsible way to keep hazardous heavy metals out of our environment.”

Electronic equipment that will be accepted on June 9 includes computer monitors, hard drives, modems, keyboards, CPU’s, mice, printers, scanners, speakers, televisions, VCR’s, fax machines, telephones, and circuit boards.

A complete list of the materials that will be accepted on June 9 is available at the Union County Bureau of Recycling and Planning website: www.ucnj.org/recycle.  All that residents need to do is drive to the site with their electronic equipment and unwanted personal documents.  Workers at the site will unload the vehicles. Pre-registration is not required for this collection.

NOTE: Refrigerators, washers and dryers, microwaves, and air conditioners will not be accepted on June 9.  These items will be accepted at Union County’s new scrap metal recycling program which is conducted twice each month in Clark, Mountainside, Rahway and Westfield.  Visit the Union County website at www.ucnj.org/recycle for more information about the new scrap metal recycling program.

The electronics collection will be held rain or shine, for Union County residents only and not for businesses.  Proof of Union County residency is required.

“Union County’s mobile document-shredding service helps residents eliminate clutter in their homes and also fight identity theft,” said Freeholder Chairman Alexander Mirabella. “It is a cost-effective way to assist our recycling efforts and it ties in with our other Go Green Initiatives.”

All Union County residents are eligible to use the paper-shredding service. In an effort to accommodate everyone, there is a limit of four, 10-pound bags or boxes per person. Documents should not be bound. Please remove plastic binders and paperclips. Paper that is wet/damp will not be accepted. Residents should continue to recycle non-confidential papers and magazines with their municipal recycling program.

Documents are put into 96-gallon containers provided by the shredding company.   The items are then dumped onto a conveyor belt and shredded on site.  Participants are welcome to view the shredding process via a closed-circuit television.  The shredded documents are then recycled, shipped to paper mills and used as pulp.  The next shredding event will take place Thursday, July 12, at Rahway River Park in Rahway.

The mobile shredding program is paid for through New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Recycling Enhancement Act Grant Funds.  For more information about future events or directions please call the Recycling Hotline at 908-654-9889 or visit us online at www.ucnj.org/recycle.