North Shore Towers Courier n December 2013 3 THE COURIER/Photos by Maggie Hayes The North Shore Towers kick-started a new initiative, e-cycling, which will safely dispose of old electronics. Towers launches e-cycling program BY MAGGIE HAYES Towers residents can now safely dispose of old and burnt out electronics without leaving the building. The new recycling program, e-cycling, is intended to easily and conveniently recycle electronics, which must be handled separately from traditional recycling. The program, which was created through a public-private partnership between the Department of Sanitation (DSNY) and Electronic Recyclers International (ERI), made its first collection at the North Shore Towers. “Everybody has something they want to get rid of,” said Bob Ricken, Board President. “We’ve already sent several bins to be recycled. We’re filling them up like crazy.” Board members, residents, partnership members and more packed into the Towers’ Building 3 lobby to kick-off the program. Buildings with at least 10 units can receive on-site pickup of stored electronic devices. Towers residents can find pick-up bins at the loading dock, next to fashioNYC clothing bins. Acceptable electronics include televisions, computers, laptops, printers, tablets, cell phones, cable/ satellite boxes, keyboards, monitors, small servers, e-readers, MP3 players, VCRs, DVRs, DVDs, video game consoles, mice, fax machines and hard drive. Electronic shredders permanently erase all of the devices’ data. “It’s the stuff you really have to make sure is handled properly,” said Ron Gonen, Deputy Commissioner for Recycling and Sustainability at DSNY. “The world is changing. A lot of what we do now is electronic, and that means our waste stream is changing significantly.” Board member Mort Gitter participated in the new program and disposed of electronics he said were “laying in the closet for about a year.” “To just have a place to put it is really good,” he said. There are currently 51 sites citywide enrolled in the free e-cycling program. Participating buildings receive room cleanouts, storage bins or outdoor electronics recycling events, depending on the number of units. “We’re sticking to our mission to be a greener facility,” said Board member Mario Carmiciano. “We made a commitment a few years ago to start going as green as we can.” Ricken credited new Board member Maria Termini-Miller, who doubles as a DSNY Deputy Commissioner, for getting NST to be a part of the program. The DSNY and ERI hope this citywide initiative can be an example for other cities around the country to imitate. For more information and for buildings to sign up, visit www.nyc. gov/ecycle. THE COURIER/Photo by Maggie Hayes The North Shore Towers kickstarted a new initiative, e-cycling, which will safely dispose of old electronics.
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