December 17, 2007   •   VOL. 45, NO. 21    •   Oakland, CA

Recycle your e-waste at
St. Vincent de Paul thrift stores
 

By Jacqueline Gilvard Landry
Voice correspondent

St. Vincent de Paul Society of Alameda County wants a donation . . . from your trash.
On October 1, SVdP retail thrift stores began accepting donations from the public of electronic waste, or “e-waste,” for recycling.

DROP-OFF LOCATIONS Alameda Thrift Store 2315 Lincoln Ave. Alameda, CA 94501 Mon-Sat, 9:30 a.m.-5:15 p.m. Fremont Thrift Store 3777 Decoto Rd. Fremont, CA 94536 Mon-Sat, 10:00 a.m.-5:45 p.m. Sunday, 12:00 p.m.-4:45 p.m. Livermore Thrift Store 1817 W. 2nd St. Livermore, CA 94550 Mon-Sat, 9:30 a.m.-5:15 p.m. Sunday, 12:00 p.m.-4:45 p.m. Outlet Center Thrift Store 9235 San Leandro St. Oakland, CA 94603 Mon-Sat, 9:30 a.m.-4:45 p.m.

E-waste, such as cell phones, computer hard drives, computer monitors and television sets, contain hazardous materials that can harm the environment, said Melanie Anguay, SVdP’s retail services director.

To keep these electronics out of landfills, the Society has partnered with ASL Recycling of San Jose to collect and properly dispose of e-waste without charge to the donor.

Donors can bring electronics to SVdP store locations, or schedule a free pick-up for some items, Anguay said. SVdP workers sort and package the donated e-waste, which ASL retrieves and recycles at its facility.

ASL pays SVdP a nominal amount for the e-waste it takes in. “It’s more a service than a money maker,” said Anguay.

The waste stream is already flowing.

“Stuff has been coming in ever since we opened,” Anguay said—mostly items like keyboards, computer mice, cords, microwaves and “huge TVs.”

And more is on the way. “With the holidays coming up, people are going to get new electronics,” said Anguay, “and they’re going to get rid of old electronics.”
Some of these electronics are not only harmful, but illegal to put in landfills under California law, she said.

“There aren’t many avenues to dispose of e-waste,” Anguay said, and SVdP felt it was in a good position to open a new avenue.

The following e-waste items will be accepted: Monitors Computers Televisions Laptops VCR players DVD players Scanners Printers Microwave Ovens Keyboards/Mice Hard Drives Cables/Cords Radios Telephones Oscilloscopes Shredders Power Supplies Stereos Cell Phones Saint Vincent de Paul cannot accept kitchen appliances, washers, dryers, fluids or copiers. Donors need not package e-waste in any special manner. Free residential or business pick-up in Alameda County may be available, with certain minimums. For more information, call (510) 638-7600, see www.svdp-alameda.org or E-mail info@svdp-alameda.org.

Philip Arca, SVdP’s executive director, pushed for the e-waste program. “We have the flow, we have the storefronts and trucks, we just needed to design the system and find the right partners. I think we have done that,” he said.

Those storefronts and trucks, Anguay said, enable SVdP to collect e-waste year-round, which is crucial with technology moving so quickly.

People are discarding old electronics all year, she said, and they do not want to wait to dispose of them until periodic “e-waste events” that organizations put on.

Anguay underscored that point, saying SVdP retail stores were turning away numerous e-waste donors at the door before the program started.

“Basically what we want to do is be eco-friendly and help donors by giving them an opportunity to safely and responsibly dispose of their electronic waste,” she said.
Carey Levine, vice president of sales and marketing for ASL, said the company dismantles or destroys the items at its San Jose site, where it employs 66 people. Some non-harmful materials are sold for scrap value.

Levine said the partnership is mutually beneficial. SVdP collects the e-waste, and ASL is reimbursed from a state fund for the quantities of that waste it recycles.
ASL “profit shares” some of the reimbursement money with SVdP, and other collectors with whom ASL has similar partnerships, Levine explained.

California established the fund in 2003 to reimburse “qualified recyclers” of electronics. The source of the fund is a state tax that consumers pay on certain electronics purchases.

“This effort makes progress every day,” Levine said. “I think zero landfill goals are great, but any progress toward that is just as good…without the progress, we can never get to that goal.”

SVdP encourages e-waste donors to drop off items at one of SVdP’s four thrift stores throughout Alameda County.

Free residential or business pick-up may also be available within Alameda County, if the size or amount of donations meets certain minimums. Donors should call SVdP for information.

SVdP does not plan to sell or keep cast-offs. Even if items work, electronics like computers still may contain data, and should be destroyed to protect the donor, Anguay said.

E-waste donations are tax-deductible, and SVdP will provide receipts for even small items, like cell phones or computer mice.

For more information, call (510) 638-7600, see www.svdp-alameda.org or e-mail info@svdp-alameda.org.

ASL Recycling also collects e-waste at its facility free of charge, and offers free pick-up for some items. For more information, call (408) 210-0139 or see www.aslrecycling.com.

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