EUGENE, Ore. (AP) - A statewide program to recycle old computer monitors and TV sets is set to begin in Oregon, but one agency in the electronics salvage business says encouraging reuse of the gear would be a better idea.
Lorraine Kerwood is the founder of Eugene's NextStep Recycling, a nonprofit agency that has been charging people to take old electronics off their hands - $15 for computer monitors and $1 per diagonal screen inch for TVs.
NextStep Recycling makes and sells refurbished computers, cell phones, radios and other devices, and it uses the proceeds to put technology into the hands of those who couldn't otherwise access it, Kerwood said.
Kerwood said the state program provides an incentive for scrapping old gadgets without evaluating their potential for reuse.
Subcontractors who pick up the recyclable material get paid by the pound, she said, and only after the electronics they collect are destroyed in industrial shredders.
Ecologically speaking, Kerwood said, that makes no sense.
"Recycling consumes 20 times as much energy as reuse."
The legislation passed last year means recycling centers across Oregon will accept desktop computers, monitors, laptops and televisions free of charge beginning Jan. 1.
Any company that makes computers and TVs sold in Oregon must register with the state and pay a fee, generating an anticipated $350,000 to $400,000 in revenue.
Manufacturers can set up their own recycling systems, and giants such as Hewlett-Packard and Dell already have applied to do so.
Kerwood said NextStep Recycling has so far provided more than 17,000 computers to schools and agencies in the United States and abroad.
Because consumers can now drop off their used electronics for free, Kerwood anticipates NextStep's income will drop 30 percent next year.
Consumers also can take gadgets directly to NextStep's collecting station, which will waive the fees it previously charged for eligible electronics.
