Eco-Depot headed to Warwick on Nov. 5 for special electronic waste collection

Warwick Beacon ·

In an effort to promote a safer home and a cleaner state, Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation (RIRRC), in collaboration with the City of Warwick Department of Public Works, is encouraging Rhode Island residents to safely dispose of their lingering household hazardous waste (HHW) and electronic waste on Saturday, Nov. 5 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Department of Public Works located at 925 Sandy Lane.

Only devices covered under Rhode Island’s electronic waste law will be accepted at the collection. Covered products are computers (monitors, computer towers, laptops and tablets) and televisions. This collection is available free of charge to Rhode Island residents only. To help reduce time spent in line, appointments should be made in advance.

Created in 2001, the Eco-Depot program is a free service offered by Resource Recovery that provides for the proper handling, packaging, storage, transportation and disposal of household hazardous waste. Since its inception, Resource Recovery has collected approximately 10.6 million pounds of household hazardous waste and served more than 148,000 Rhode Islanders. With numerous collection dates and events held at several municipal locations throughout the state, Rhode Island’s Eco-Depot program is unlike any other household hazardous waste collection in the country. During last year’s Eco-Depot collection in Warwick, residents dropped off close to 8.1 tons of household hazardous waste.

“The safe disposal of household hazardous waste is vitally important to the safety and wellbeing of all families,” Avedisian said. “I’m extremely proud of the joint effort between Rhode Island Resource Recovery and Warwick’s Department of Public Works for hosting the upcoming disposal event to ensure that all city residents have the opportunity to safely dispose of unwanted materials. I encourage all residents take advantage of this free event.”

Properly prepared sharps (i.e. needles, lancets) will also be accepted at this Eco-Depot collection. For sharps to be accepted for disposal, they must be secured either in a sharps container or a puncture-proof plastic bleach, detergent or coffee container that is taped shut and labeled “SHARPS.” Sharps containers prepared in this method can also be disposed of with regular trash collection.

Many common household items are actually household hazardous waste materials that should not be collected through Rhode Island’s standard trash and recycling collection services. These materials include: fluorescent light bulbs, gasoline, pesticides, oil-based paints, disinfectants, used motor oil and lawn and pool chemicals. When not properly collected and disposed, these materials can cause harm to the local environment by contaminating Rhode Island’s waterways. For a full list of household hazardous waste materials, please visit ecodepotri.org.

To make an appointment for the collection or to view the entire 2016 Eco-Depot schedule, visit ecodepotri.org or call 401-942-1430, ext. 241. Rhode Islanders may make an appointment for any Eco-Depot event that fits their schedule.