Queens Botanical Garden to Host 11th Annual Electronic Waste Disposal Event on Sunday

The Queens Botanical Garden is thinking globally and acting locally. This Sunday, all are invited to drop off unwanted or broken electronics at the Flushing nonprofit, which will dispose of them for free. The 11th Annual After The Holidays E-Waste Event, sponsored by the Lower East Side Ecology Center and TekServe, gets its impetus from the fact that e-waste is responsible for about 70 percent of the toxins in U.S. landfills, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, while consisting of only about 1 percent of the volume in those landfills. Furthermore, e-waste often contains poisons such as lead, cadmium, mercury and flame-retardants. The EPA also claims that recycling e-waste reduces pollution, separates hazardous chemicals from water streams and the atmosphere. In fact, beginning in 2015, e-waste will be banned from regular trash by law. Among the items that QBG will accept are tangles of broken holiday lights, computers, faxes, cell phones, televisions, stereo equipment, printers, TVs, VCRs, DVDs and cameras. (Click here for a complete list.) And as an extra enticement, QBG will host children’s crafts workshops using recycled and repurposed items from 1 pm to 3 pm.

Details: After The Holidays E-Waste Event, QBG Parking Garden, 42-80 Crommelin Street, Flushing, January 12th, 10 am to 4 pm, Rain or Shine, Free.

Photos by QBG