The rapid growth of Waste Electronics and Electronic Equipment presents new concerns and opportunities. Computers, monitors, televisions, etc. quickly become obsolete because of the rapid innovations in technology. Materials of concern in these devices include lead, cadmium, and chromium.

        With the start of the 2005 Franchise Collection Contract on October 1, 2005, residents in unincorporated Lee County, the City of Bonita Springs, and Town of Fort Myers Beach can set their outdated or non working electronics curbside for collection. This service is for residents only, businesses are required to make special disposal arrangements with the Solid Waste Division.   

        Electronics are to be placed at the curb away from the regular garbage on the day of the regular household garbage collection.  The garbage collection crew will make a note of the location of the electronics and forward this information to the dispatcher. The dispatcher in turn schedules a special truck to come the following day for pick up.  While this is a new process for the collection crews, we ask that residents call their respective franchise hauler and let them know in advance that electronics are at the curb ready for collection.  This ensures that your electronics are picked up and don't remain at the curb causing an eyesore. The Solid Waste Division appreciates your help in getting this additional collection service off to a good start.

        These electronics are brought to the Solid Waste facility where they are inventoried and prepared for shipment to a contracted vendor for recycling. The vendor erases the hard drives of the devices and demanufactures these objects; recyclable material is removed and reused. From October 1, 2006 through September 17, 2007 a total of 1,600,000 lbs. of electronics were collected.        Acceptable items are:    

        Computers, monitors, keyboards, scanners, printers, televisions, VCR's, DVD players, Fax machines, phones, stereo equipment, copy machines, microwave ovens, etc. in working and non working condition.

        Printer and Copier Ink Cartridges can be recycled and remanufactured into new cartridges. Rather than having cartridges enter the solid waste system to take more than ten centuries to decompose please consider recycling them.

        The remanufacturing process for cartridges uses less natural resources than the process to make new ones, and saves the local economy money because remanufactured cartridges are less costly than new ones and they work just as well as a new one.  Some companies even buy back empty (used)  cartridges from customers.

    One of Lee County's local remanufacturing companies is JetScape.  The company is located on 7181-18 College Pkwy. Ft. Myers, FL  33907.  Ph: (239) 481-1272 Fax: (239) 481-6835.  Visit their website for more information at  www.jetscape.com