Multnomah County to offer cell phone recycling
This morning the Board unanimously passed a resolution, brought forth by Commissioner Cogen, to offer cell phone recycling in various county buildings. The buildings chosen are sprinkled all over the county in locations as diverse as the McCoy Building downtown to the Gresham Library. A full list of locations after the jump.
Of the 130 million mobile phones retired annually in the United States every year, less than 1% are recycled, and it is estimated that consumers have stored 500 million obsolete cellular phones that await disposal. Cellular phones in landfills can leach toxic substances into the water and air. Disposal of cellular phones into solid waste in Oregon is a public concern both from a health and resource depletion perspective. Among the toxic metals and other materials present in cellular phones, as reported by the EPA, are:
Lead – can damage the central and peripheral nervous systems, blood systems, and kidneys
Chromium VI – can damage DNA and has been linked to asthmatic bronchitis
Brominated Flame Retardants – act as endocrine disrupters and increase the risk of cancer of the digestive and lymph systems.
This program is also revenue neutral for the County. According to Jeff, "The County’s function is to protect the health and safety of our residents. This is a no-cost way for us to do that by keeping toxics out of our waste stream while supporting local businesses, promoting sustainability and helping provide funding for our libraries and environmental programs."
Our office is looking forward to this program to be up and running by February. So hold on to those old cell phones a little while longer and bring them to the County after the New Year.
List of locations:
a. McCoy Building
b. North Portland Health Clinic
c. Elections Building
d. Yeon Annex
e. Mid-County Health Clinic
f. Multnomah County East Building
g. Multnomah Building
h. Central Library
i. Midland Library
j. Hillsdale Library
k. Gresham Library
Posted on December 6, 2007
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