E-waste

E-waste is a distinct category because these items should not be thrown in with waste or recycling on campus – however, it is possible for e-waste to be both recycled and disposed of through special channels! Most electronics contain lead or mercury and cannot be disposed of in the trash. E-waste includes any electronic equipment: laptops, phones, chargers, monitors, printers, DVD players, etc. Batteries are also included because they cannot be conventionally recycled and are considered electronic.

How to dispose of e-waste

Computers, Laptops, Monitors, Printers

Students, staff, and faculty can dispose of these safely at a one-time end-of-the-year event called GreenUp with a Williams college ID for proof of ownership. For college-owned equipment, contact the OIT help desk.

Toner cartridges

There are seven boxes in different areas on campus in which you can drop off your empty toner cartridge to be recycled. You can drop off cartridges from any College-owned network or local printer. Click here for the list of box locations. Contact the OIT help desk with questions.

Batteries

Alkaline, lithium ion, ni-cad, rechargeables, and 9-volt batteries can be brought to the Paresky mailroom window, CSS in Hopkins Hall, the Facilities Services Building stockroom, and outside of Morley Science Lab M232. Before disposing of them, cover the positive and negative posts of the following batteries with masking, duct, or electrical tape.

Lead-acid batteries, such as most car batteries and battery packs for emergency lighting, must be disposed of differently. Contact Heather Main for disposal.

Cell phones

Contact Nicole Pedercini in the Controllers Office. She has kindly offered to recycle unwanted phones along with the ones she recycles for her office. Remember to wipe the memory clean before getting rid of it, and disable the “Find my iPhone” function on Apple phones.

Where does e-waste go?

Williams’ e-waste electronics are handled by Electronics Recyclers International, located in a Gardner, MA facility. Electronics Recyclers is a founding member of e-Stewards, a third party certification organization that works to ensure environmentally and socially responsible collection and processing of e-waste.

Lead acid batteries are sent to Apkins in Adams, MA for proper recycling. Alkaline and other rechargeable batteries that go into the buckets on campus get sent to NLR (Northeast Lamp Recycling) in CT.