SOUTHERN OREGON, —Southern Oregonians may soon have trouble getting rid of old TVs or computer monitors. Now the legislature is trying to step in.
The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality has collected more e-waste than expected recently. E-waste, or electronic waste, includes TVs, computers, and monitors specifically. It is illegal for you to throw them in the trash.
DEQ’s collection contractors have notified rural existing waste and recycling sites that it will no longer be able to participate in the E-Cycles program. That goes into effect on March 1st.
House Bill 4158 would be a short-term technical legislative fix, that would allow the DEQ to retain its existing collection sites. Locally, Rogue Disposal says its facility on Table Rock Rd. won’t be able to take e-waste for free unless the legislation gets passed. Last year that facility collected over 600,000 pounds of e-waste.
“That site collected more than all other sites in Josephine and Jackson County combined, the e-waste that would have come to us is going to go somewhere else and the issue is that the other sites most likely won’t be able to handle it,” said Garry Penning with Rogue Disposal.
If it passes, the transfer site will continue to operate for the rest of the year. Penning says the legislature should provide answers in the coming weeks.
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