03/29/2024
Spread the love

By Erin Smith

Bladen County has been awarded a grant from the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Waste Management to support the county’s electronics waste management program. The county was awarded a total of $2,767.18.

Bladen County Manger Greg Martin said the grant assists the county with the recycling of electronics that are deposited at the Bladen County Solid Waste on Mercer Mil Road.

“The state helps counties with the recycling of those materials instead of burying them in the landfill,” said Martin.

You can carry your old electronics such as television sets, radios, and old computers to the Bladen County Solid Waste office located on Mercer Mill Road to be recycled. Martin said there is a trailer at the site where the items are collected to be sent for recycling.

The Electronics Management Fund consists of computer and television manufacturers’ registration and annual fees, which are used to support approved electronics recycling programs within North Carolina counties. Generally, costs associated with local collection systems include managing drop-off sites, and the consolidation and transport of materials.

Since 2010, local government and manufacturer programs have diverted more than 250 million pounds of electronics from solid waste landfills. Last year, local recycling programs collected more than 80 percent of all consumer-generated televisions and computer equipment recycled by residents in this state, which is 31.6 million pounds of consumer electronic waste kept out of landfills statewide. The Division of Waste Management does not collect data on electronics recycled by businesses.

Martin said the county also has an agreement to recycle old tires as well which receives funding from the state. He said all of the county’s recycling programs are a more environmentally friendly way of disposing of those items and keeping them out of the waste stream.

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