MILWAUKEE – With many Wisconsin residents giving and receiving electronics as gifts this holiday season, Wired Wisconsin is reminding consumers to take advantage of the E-Cycle Wisconsin program and safely dispose of old or unwanted electronics after the holidays.

“After all of the holiday gift giving is complete, consumers often find that they have unwanted or old electronics to dispose of,” says Thad Nation, executive director of Wired Wisconsin. “It’s important that Wisconsin consumers understand the proper methods for recycling these devices. By taking our old electronics to an e-cycling center, we can keep our communities safe from hazardous materials, reduce waste and support local job growth.”

Recycling old electronics after the holidays has become hassle free with Wisconsin’s electronic recycling program, E-Cycle Wisconsin, which established registered collection sites throughout the state in 2010. Consumers can drop their unwanted electronics at one of 400 permanent collection sites in Wisconsin where recycled goods will be sold to recyclers and broken down for their component recyclable parts.

Since its inception, E-Cycle Wisconsin has kept nearly 100 million pounds of electronics out of landfills. Last year, registered collectors throughout the state took in 39.1 million pounds of electronics – 6.8 pounds for every resident in Wisconsin.

“Electronics have become one of the most popular gifts to give during the holidays,” says Nation. “Unwanted or obsolete electronics still do have some value to them if they are recycled properly.”

For example, a typical older desktop computer and a CRT monitor weigh approximately 60 pounds combined, most of which can be broken down and recycled.  The two components combined contain roughly: 15 pounds of glass, 14 pounds of plastic, 12 pounds of iron, 8 pounds of aluminum, 4 pounds of copper, 4 pounds of lead and 1 pound of zinc.

More information on the benefits of e-cycling and where to find the nearest collection site can be found here.

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Wired Wisconsin is the Wisconsin-based project of Mobile Consumers for Choice and Competition (MCCC), a non-profit organization of individual consumers interested in technology, broadband, and telecommunication issues with state projects throughout the Midwest region.  The project will work to support an environment for innovative technology, high-tech job creation, and economic growth. Wired Wisconsin will seek to educate consumers, policy makers, and businesses about technology- related legislative and regulatory issues that impact our lives and advocate for common-sense approaches to spur innovation and grow the economy. For more information, visit www.wiredwisconsin.org.