FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ELECTRONIC WASTE CONTAINING CRT'S BANNED FROM LANDFILL - RESIDENTS CAN RECYCLE CURBSIDE

PACHECO - Beginning immediately for customers in Alamo, Bay Point, Blackhawk, Clayton, Danville, Lafayette, Martinez, Moraga, Mt. View, Orinda, Pacheco, Pleasant Hill, and Walnut Creek, and December 17th for customers in Antioch and Benicia, Pleasant Hill Bayshore Disposal (PHBD) will provide curbside collection service for electronic devices that contain cathode ray tubes (CRT's) such as computer monitors, televisions, scanners and some camcorders. There will be a $25 fee for each CRT collected. This fee is for disassembly and removal of hazardous materials. Customers will also be able to recycle up to 3 times of electronic waste that do not contain CRT's such as printers (not laser), keyboards, and CPU's curbside for a fee of $5. This fee is for disassembly and recycling of parts. Any CRT found in residential garbage, cleanup debris and commercial garbage will be tagged and left for proper disposal by the customer.

A typical CRT contains up to five pounds of lead. Lead is an extremely toxic substance and is prohibited by law from going to the landfill.

Experts estimate that the average useful life span of a personal computer has shrunk from 5 years to just about 2 years and 6,000 computers become obsolete and are put aside in California everyday.

More than 315 million computers will become obsolete within the next four years. This has the potential of generating more than 1 billion pounds of lead waste.

To schedule curbside collection of CRT's and electronic waste, customers should call customer service, 8am-6pm, Monday-Friday; Benicia (707) 747-0608; Antioch, Bay Point, Clayton, Clyde, Mt. View, Pacheco, Pleasant Hill (925-685-4711; Martinez (925) 685-4711 or (925) 228-2717; Alamo, Blackhawk, Danville, Lafayette, Moraga, Orinda, Walnut Creek (925) 603-1144.

The public can also take CRT's and electronic waste for a fee to Contra Costa Transfer and Recovery, 951 Waterbird Way, Martinez. The facility is open Monday - Friday, 7am-5pm except Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's. For further information, call (925) 313-8900.

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