Year-Round E-Waste Collection Now Available

Montclair’s fifteenth Computer and Electronics Recycling collection event took place Saturday, September 6. Hundreds of residents dropped off their old “e-scrap” at the Department of Community Services yard on North Fullerton Avenue, filling two trucks with obsolete or unwanted consumer electronics.

Mayor Jerry Fried arrived in an all-electric ZENN car (“Zero-Emissions, No Noise”) to help greet some of the event’s participants. The mayor is helping to launch the Township’s effort to “Reinvigorate Recycling in Montclair” – a new multimedia campaign to step up recycling rates.

"Diverting electronic equipment from being discarded as refuse saves tax dollars for the municipality," said Environmental Affairs Coordinator and event organizer Gray Russell. "In addition, it protects our health by keeping toxins out of the waste stream, and also conserves energy by recycling valuable materials."

The electronics collections that Montclair has run since 2001 have become popular environmental community events.

"Besides the 'green' benefits, the Township has diverted about 300 tons of scrap from collection, hauling, and dumping at the Essex Incinerator," said Russell. "Picture 20 tractor-trailers in a row driving through town – saving Montclair over $25,000."

But this most recent collection event served yet another purpose: every car that drove in was handed a flyer explaining that all Montclair residents now have an even more convenient way to dispose of every bit of e-scrap. Instead of holding their gear for several months until the Township holds its twice-a-year events (or Essex County’s collections), residents may now drop-off their computers and consumer electronic equipment all year round.

Beginning this summer and going forward, any old, obsolete, or unwanted e-waste can be brought every Saturday to the Recycling Drop-off Center at the DCS Yard, 219 North Fullerton Avenue, during regular hours from 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Residents may bring computer components, including laptops, monitors, central processing units (CPUs), keyboards, mice, mainframes, and peripherals such as circuit boards, disc drives, integrated circuits (ICs), modems, processors, tape drives, networking equipment, and wires and cables. Plus, all TVs (no big-screens or consoles), cell phones and telephone equipment, printers, copiers, fax machines, VCRs, CD or DVD players, electronic video games, camcorders, stereo equipment and radios may be dropped off.

The new year-round drop-off program is a significant additional service, and will enable the Township to dramatically reduce the volume of electronic equipment being discarded.

"There’s no longer any excuse for putting a computer monitor or TV set at the curb," said Russell. "Eventually, state law and local ordinances will restrict those items from disposal. Finding new ways of diverting waste from disposal, capturing valuable materials and protecting health, while reducing energy use and saving money, are all components of a waste prevention, reuse, recycling and composting program that is cost-effective, energy-efficient, and sustainable," he said.

For questions about waste prevention, reuse, recycling or composting, contact the Office of Environmental Affairs at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , or, (973) 509-5721.