Thanks to the passage of House Bill 4540, starting July 1 West Virginians can again dispose of Covered Electronic Devices (CED’s) in their local landfill – rather than illegally dumping them.
CED’s include items like televisions with cathode ray tubes and old computer monitors. Since 2011, when CED’s were banned from landfills, the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection’s (WVDEP) Rehabilitation Environmental Action Plan (REAP) has seen a spike in CED’s in illegal trash dumps. The items became more common in illegal trash dumps because higher quality flat screen televisions and monitors were less expensive and for several years in West Virginia, there was no easy or inexpensive way to properly dispose of the old items.
REAP reports that during its cleanup events across the state, CED’s are commonly found – sometimes as many as 150 per month – in streams and roadside ditches. REAP holds CED collection events across the state to prevent illegal dumping of these items, but cannot keep up with the demand.
Landfills may have charges associated with CED disposal. Residents are urged to contact their local solid waste authority or their local landfill to determine associated charges.
One exception to HB 4540 is if a county or regional solid waste authority determines there is a cost-effective recycling alternative, landfills in that county are still banned from accepting these items. Berkeley County is currently the only county in West Virginia that has notified the WVDEP that it will continue to ban CED’s in its landfill.
For more DEP news and information, go to www.dep.wv.gov. Also, be sure to connect with the agency on all social media platforms. Follow @DEPWV on Twitter and find us on YouTube by searching “Environment Matters.” For specific information about our REAP (Rehabilitation Environmental Action Plan), West Virginia Project WET (Water Education for Teachers), West Virginia Watershed Improvement Branch, Youth Environmental Program and Human Resources initiatives, connect on Facebook.
