Electronic Waste
Electronic products constitute one of the fastest growing sources of consumer and commercial waste, and will undoubtedly be found in the dental office. Many consumer electronic products contain heavy metals such as lead, cadmium and mercury, as well as other materials that are best kept out of the environment.
In 2010, Pennsylvania passed the Covered Device Recycling Act which established requirements for the disposal of certain covered electronic devices. According to the act the following devices may not be disposed of as municipal solid waste:
• Desktop and laptop computers
• Computer monitors
• Computer peripherals
• Tablets
• Televisions
• E-Readers( with a browser and internet connectivity)
For more information, visit https:// www. dep. pa. gov / Business / Land / Waste / Recycling / Electronics / pages / default. aspx
For information about waste haulers that will accept electronics for recycling, please see Appendix B.
Landfills and other solid waste disposal facilities are no longer allowed to accept these devices or their components; these devices must be recycled.
There are various avenues available to dispose of these electronic devices properly. In addition to waste haulers that are able to recycle these devices, there are a number of collection programs available throughout the state. DEP’ s website contains more information about locating collection programs in your area: https:// www. dep. pa. gov / Business / Land / Waste / Recycling / Electronics / Pages / Electronics-Collection-Programs. aspx or you can call DEP’ s recycling hotline at 800-346-4242.
If waste chemicals cannot be poured down the drain, recycled or reused, the waste will need to be tested to determine if it constitutes hazardous waste.
8 PDA Waste Management Guidelines