Area residents will have more opportunities than ever this summer to safely dispose of their troublesome household wastes, including paint, household chemicals and electronics. Mid Michigan Waste Authority’s problem waste program has expanded to include 5-6 drop-off days per month.  

The program, which is offered to residents of Saginaw County, Bethany Twp, Village of Breckenridge and Wheeler Twp, has also been retooled to reflect the county’s problem waste disposal needs.         

“When we reviewed the data from our 2015 household special waste events, the first thing we noticed was that paint made up nearly two-thirds of the materials collected,” Katharine Tessin, MMWA Administrative Director, said. “We want to be responsive to the county’s needs, so this year we are offering three days per month devoted solely to paint collection.”
           

Electronics and hazardous waste will also get their own days, to make the drop-off experience quicker and easier for residents. 
           

All events will be held from 9 am to 1 pm at MMWA’s Community Resource Recovery Center, 2063 S Miller Rd, Saginaw, located at the SE corner of Miller and Ederer Roads in James Twp.

There is no charge for paint and household chemical disposal.

Most electronics can be turned in for free, but there is a charge for televisions and CRT (cathode ray tube) computer monitors, due to the cost of processing and recycling these items.

The fee is $10 for televisions that are under 48”, $20 for televisions 48” and larger, and $10 for CRT computer monitors. Older computer monitors are frequently CRT monitors; they are deeper in width and have wide viewing angles.     

"The tube televisions and monitors are costly to process due to changes in the electronics recycling market. Unfortunately, the amount of funding manufacturers are required by law to provide has not been enough to cover those costs,” Tessin said.

“MMWA is subsidizing the actual cost to recycle these items, because we know this is a change for residents who used to turn them in for free.”

“MMWA’s decision to charge residents to recycle these items was not an easy one,” adds MMWA’s Carol Somers.  “Due to the current state of electronics recycling, this has become the norm for e-waste recycling programs across the country. While electronics are not banned from landfills in Michigan, they do pose an environmental hazard when thrown in the trash. We hope that by paying half of the actual recycling cost, residents will be encouraged to dispose of their electronics in an environmentally responsible manner.”

(For example, the actual cost to recycle a 48” television is $40, but MMWA is covering half of that fee. The cost to the resident is $20.)

Here are some links to a few pieces that will give you an idea of the current state of e-waste recycling:



https://mibiz.com/item/21978-lack-of-subsidies-pushes-recyclers-to-rethink%20-%E2%80%93-or-charge-for-%E2%80%93-electronics-recycling

http://waste360.com/e-waste/why-best-buy-s-monitor-recycling-fee-could-be-death-knell-free-e-waste-programs

The 2016 MMWA household special waste schedule is as follows: