Small electronics often improperly disposed; Good New Project to offer e-cycling event

WAUSAU, Wis. (WSAW) - A Wausau non-profit will celebrate International E-Waste Day by providing e-cycling collection on Friday, Oct. 14.

Good News Project will collect items on Friday from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. and will be accepting both small and large unwanted electronics for recycling. GNP charges .45 cents per lb. to recycle the items. Both small and large electronics will be collected on this day.

Susie Arnold from GNP said e-waste is the fastest-growing waste stream globally, with a growth rate of 3-4% per year.

“In 2021 over 57 million tons of e-waste was produced worldwide. Only about 17% of that waste was recycled properly,” said Arnold.

She said that mean a huge loss of valuable and critical raw materials and the potential for serious environmental and health problems, since harmful materials like lead, mercury, and cadmium can be released into the air and water if electronics are landfilled, incinerated or illegally dumped.

Due to their small size, items such as cell phones, electric toothbrushes, toasters and cameras are often discarded incorrectly, and they make up a significant proportion of the 8% of all e-waste that is thrown in waste bins which is subsequently landfilled or incinerated. This means the important raw materials they contain cannot be extracted and are lost.

Good News Project is located at 1106 N. Fifth St. in Wausau.

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