PIONEER PRESS | Ramsey County residents can now recycle electronics for free

By dropping unwanted electronics off at the collection site, the items can be refurbished or recycled into new products.

Ramsey County interim Environmental Health Division director Rae Eden Frank said it’s important to reuse or recycle electronics to keep these materials from harming the environment.

Used and old electronics are the fastest-growing waste in the country and they often contain toxic metals like lead, mercury and cadmium.

“It’s easy to think of electronics as e-junk and allow your ‘pile of denial’ to grow in your garage or basement of smartphones, laptops, cords and more,” said Repowered CEO Amanda LaGrange. “The reality is these items can be refurbished or at least recycled, which allows for the reclaiming of the gold, silver, copper, platinum, lithium and cobalt inside our electronics.”

All data from electronics is destroyed physically or electronically wiped.

Prior to the new partnership, Repowered did accept some electronics for free, mainly computers and similar devices, but disposing of some other items, such as televisions, would have required a fee for Ramsey County residents, according to county spokesman Christopher Burns.

The Repowered collection site is at 860 Vandalia St. in St. Paul.

Find more information at ramseycounty.us/electronics.