TAVARES — Department of Environmental Services officials are warning residents in unincorporated Lake County not to dispose of electronic waste (e-waste) through curbside trash pick-up service.

Since the County instituted nominal fees for disposal of e-waste at the landfill and residential drop-off centers earlier this month, more e-waste is being improperly disposed through residential trash pick-up service. The Department of Environmental Services has contacted the three contracted trash haulers for Lake County and has instructed them not to pick up e-waste, specifically televisions, VCRs and computer monitors. These items are being banned from landfill disposal because of their toxic chemicals.

The fee schedule for e-waste was instituted March 1 to solely recover the cost of proper disposal of e-waste by the County. Disposal techniques for the enormous volume of electronic waste varies for each component; each having a different assortment of materials that can be either valuable, if recovered properly, or very toxic to the environment if not. While technology allows for nearly hazard-free recycling of e-waste, de-manufacturing and recovery costs have increased.

The new rates for disposal of each item of e-waste are as follows:

Commercial and institutional e-waste is accepted only at the Lake County Landfill, 13130 County Landfill Road, Tavares, on Wednesdays between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. The five residential drop-off centers will accept household e-waste from unincorporated residents only during normally scheduled hours of operation. For more information, call the Lake County Department of Environmental Services at (352) 343-3776 or log on to wUwUw.

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Contact information:
Christopher Patton
Communications Coordinator
Office: (352) 343-9609; Cell: (352) 455-0445
cpatton@co.lake.fl.us