Recycle Old or Obsolete Electronic Devices with CRRA . . .
. . . and Clean Out Those Home File Cabinets, Too

State’s Recycling Leader Offers Paper Shredding at its Electronics Collections

HARTFORD, Conn. – Now you can recycle more than just your old electronic devices with the state’s largest recycler. You can recycle those drawers and boxes full of old papers, canceled checks and other items with personal information that you want to get rid of but don’t want to put in the trash.

The Connecticut Resources Recovery Authority, Connecticut’s recycling leader, is now offering bulk paper shredding and recycling at its residential electronics collections.

Since CRRA began its electronics recycling program in 1999, more than 51,000 families have recycled more than 5.8 million pounds of electronics. But many residents, increasingly concerned with identity theft, asked CRRA how they could safely recycle their old papers.

“Over the last two or three years, many people have called and told us they just cleaned out their parents’ attic and have boxes of old paper to recycle but need it shredded,” explained Thomas P. Gaffey, CRRA’s head of recycling. “People need the peace of mind that personal information is safeguarded so we’re delighted to be able to offer this bulk shredding service, which will also save people the chore of running all that material through a small home paper shredder.”

CRRA has contracted with Cheshire-based SHRED-IT to provide this service. Residents of participating towns can bring SHRED-IT anything made of paper, especially items that could be used to steal an identity. Plastics must be removed before bringing the paper for recycling.

For electronics recycling, CRRA contracts with eco International, the nation’s leader in electronics recycling, to keep these items out of the waste stream. At its facility in Vestal, N.Y., eco International dismantles items into raw materials, such as copper, steel, aluminum, glass and plastic, and sells these materials to firms who turn them into new products.

eco International has signed the Basel Action Network Pledge of True Stewardship, an internationally recognized commitment to responsible recycling and has been audited by CHWMEG, Inc.; results of that audit can be reviewed on-line.

These collections are open only to residents of towns that participate in CRRA’s Mid-Connecticut Project. Residents of other communities who want to recycle their electronics should call their local public works departments or electronics retailers or check with the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection for other recycling opportunities.

The fall schedule:

• Saturday, Sept. 18, in Glastonbury, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Glastonbury Highway Department, 2380 New London Turnpike.
• Saturday, Sept. 25, in Watertown, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the CRRA Transfer Station, Echo Lake Road (about one-fourth of a mile west of Exit 37, Route 8).
• Saturday, Oct. 2, in Essex, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the CRRA Transfer Station, Town Dump Road (off Exit 4 of Route 9).
• Saturday, Oct. 16, in Enfield, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Stanley Jablonski Public Works Complex, 40 Moody Road.
• NEW! Saturday, Oct. 23, in Litchfield, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Litchfield High School, 14 Plumb Hill Road.
• NEW! Saturday, November 6, in West Hartford, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the West Hartford Town Yard, 17 Brixton Street. There will be no paper shredding at this event.

Additional collections may be scheduled. The complete schedule is always available on CRRA's website.

Due to the expiration of the Bridgeport Project and Wallingford Project, CRRA no longer provides electronics recycling in or for the following cities and towns: Bethany, Bridgeport, Cheshire, Darien, East Haven, Easton, Fairfield, Greenwich, Hamden, Meriden, Milford, Monroe, New Canaan, North Haven, Norwalk, Orange, Shelton, Stamford, Stratford, Trumbull, Wallingford, Weston, Westport, Wilton and Woodbridge.

The Connecticut Resources Recovery Authority is a quasi-public agency whose mission is to work for – and in – the best interests of the municipalities of the state of Connecticut. CRRA develops and implements environmentally sound solutions and best practices for solid waste disposal and recycling management on behalf of municipalities. CRRA serves 96 Connecticut cities and towns. CRRA also runs sustainability education programs through the Trash Museum in Hartford and Garbage Museum in Stratford. Computer users can also discuss CRRA at its blog.

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