New York City has launched a new e-scrap collection program for multi-family residential buildings.
The new program, called e-cycleNYC, allows all apartment buildings with 10 units or more to opt-in to the collection program. Building owners can use any combination of permanent storage and collection bins, room cleanouts or organized building events to collect used electronics.
While New York State has had an electronics stewardship law on the books since 2010, collection rates in the Big Apple have lagged behind the rest of the state since implementation, with a landfill ban on covered electronics not going into effect until 2015. According to NYC Department of Sanitation, over half of city residents live in these types of housing units and many do not have access to a personal vehicle, creating barriers to dropping off electronics at designated sites for recycling. The new collection program hopes to counter those barriers and bring the city’s collection rate in line with the rest of the state.
Collected e-scrap will be handled by Electronic Recyclers International.