Electronic Recycling

New! Just announced on June 2, 2008, ND Best Buy store locations (Fargo, Bismarck, Grand Forks and Minot) will begin accepting two electronics items per person per day for recycling. This is a pilot program (temporary). Contact the stores for more details.

Computers and televisions are in almost every household and business in the United States. Several hundred million computers and televisions are in use and many more millions are believed to be in storage. Both computer monitors and televisions typically contain a cathode ray tube (CRT), which creates the images seen on the television or computer monitor. The glass in CRTs from color computer monitors and color televisions can contain enough lead to qualify these devices as hazardous waste (D008, characteristically hazardous for lead) when they are discarded. Businesses that discard (i.e., "generate") post-consumer CRTs must comply with hazardous waste regulations by making the determination if the CRTs are hazardous and managing them properly (i.e. disposal or recycling).

Households are excluded from the hazardous waste regulations and many smaller businesses do not generate enough CRTs to trigger hazardous waste generator requirements; these entities tend either to store old electronic equipment or to send it to Subtitle D landfills. The preferred management method is recycling. If you have any questions on the proper management of electronic waste, please contact the Division of Waste Management at (701) 328-5166.

CESQG Hazardous Wastes
Conditionally Exempt Small Quantity Generators (CESQGs) are exempt from most regulations that apply to small and large quantity hazardous generators. Many local programs do not include CESQG collection in their program. If you are planning to accept this material in your program, there are some things you should consider before making that final decision. This section covers some basic information about CESQGs as well as reasons why some community does not recommend accepting this material in your programs. If after ready this section you are still interested in accepting CESQGs as well. If after reading this section you are still interested in accepting CESQG, please contact the HHW state office for further suggestions to manage an incorporate this material into your program.

CESQGs are required to limit waste accumulation and to treat, store or dispose of their wastes by either of the several prescribed methods. One of EPA's prescribed methods is that CESQGs ensure delivery of waste to facility permitted, licensed or resisted by a State to manage municipal solid waste.

North Dakota solid waste management rules are the same as EPA's in this case and ban disposal of CESQG wastes in municipal solid waste landfills. However, the Division of Waste Management, through current policy, will allow management of CESQG hazardous wastes at HHW collection facilities.

Reasons to not accept CESQG waste:

Mixing HHW (totally exempted from hazardous waste rules) and CESQG hazardous waste (still classified as hazardous wastes, but exempt from certain requirements) could subject the resultant mix to all hazardous wastes requirements.
CESQGs tend to overwhelm temporary day collections designed for residents and add a lot to the cost of the events.
Governments supplement their collection programs with tax dollars. There is an opinion by many that small businesses who are in business to make a profit should not be allowed to use tax dollars to dispose of the toxic waste created from their businesses.

Why not charge the CESQGs?
This opens the door for a whole new set of decisions for your HHW facility: How do you accurately identify them? How do we set up a system to charge them? How do we add their needs into our public program smoothly? CESQGs at a later time if still desired.

Finally, with CESQG waste, it is sometimes questionable if they are not actually SQG's. All are responsible for proper disposal, however SQG's are more heavily regulated.