Please do not discard electronics in the trash. Disposal of waste electronics from non-residential sources, such as schools is regulated hazardous waste in Colorado. Aurora Public Schools has a program to recycle school generated waste electronic equipment or e-waste.
E-waste contains a number of hazardous constituents such as lead, mercury, arsenic, cadmium, chromium and silver. Many of these are found on the circuit board or in the glass. These constituents are not a concern while the equipment is in use, but if disposed of in a landfill, harmful chemicals could leach out and contaminate groundwater and soil.
Examples of e-waste include:
- All computer equipment, including laptops, desktops, servers, printers, keyboard, mice, and other peripherals
- All TVs and monitors (tube type and flat screen)
- All audio/video equipment (VCR, DVD, Stereo, consoles)
- All wire and connectors
The APS Warehouse coordinates pick up of electronics for disposal. The pickup schedule can be found at http://warehouse.aurorak12.org/fixed-assets/electronics-recycling-schedule/.
The process is as follows:
- The Warehouse will contact the site one month prior to pickup.
- The site will furnish the warehouse an inventory of items to be picked up.
- The warehouse will schedule the pickup with the disposal company and meet the company onsite.
- The warehouse will remove the equipment from the site asset inventory.
APS Environmental picks up the following for disposal:
- Small Appliances - such as microwaves, coffeemakers, toasters, curling irons, hair dryers, lamps, vacuum cleaners, etc.
- Large Appliances - such as refrigerators, freezers, washers, dryers, ovens and dishwashers
- Electronic ballasts