Pennsylvania Resources Council’s hard-to-recycle collection

A worker wraps computer monitors collected at a “hard-to-recycle” event at Washington Mall last year. – Courtesy of Pennsylvania Resources Council

The continued success of the Pennsylvania Resources Council’s hard-to-recycle collection event is bringing it back to Washington County.

The program, which enables individuals to drop off cellphones, laptops, tablets, e-waste, CFLs, microwave ovens, printers, video game consoles and many other items at no cost, will take place from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. June 25 at ANSYS Inc. at Southpointe.

It was an effort last year that produced 94,757 pounds of electronics, 200 CFLs, 372 tires, 854 pounds of batteries and 321 pounds of CDs, DVDs and VHS tapes at Washington Mall.

“The first 10 years of the program we collected about one million pounds of items,” said PRC Western Regional Director Justin Stockdale. “We collected more than half-a-million pounds last year alone. Some of our success is from legislative mandates because you can’t put certain things out with your regular trash. This program finds a lot of success from that law.”

After starting the program in 2003 that was originally designed around propane tanks, the PRC’s newest, and most popular inclusion to the collection effort, is televisions.

While government regulations prevented the PRC from accepting televisions at its first 2016 collection event in April, more clarification from the state Department of Environmental Protection has allowed collection with a fee.

That $25 fee didn’t bother the attendees at the May 14 collection at Gallery of Pittsburgh Mills, where 520 of the 536 people disposed of a television.

For more information on items accepted and associated costs, visit www.prc.org or call PRC at 412-488-7490 x243