FARMINGTON — The seventh Earth Day Every Day! electronics collection day will take place from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, April 26, in the parking lot next to Aubuchon Hardware on Routes 2 and 4.

Greater Farmington area residents will have an opportunity to responsibly dispose of household electronic devices. Old and broken electronics and other “e-waste” will be collected for Maine Department of Environmental Protection-approved recycling and disposal.

Property owner Jim Meader has provided his lot for six years.

Old South First Congregation has partnered with EPA-approved e-Waste Recycling Solutions of Auburn to collect TVs, computers, laptops, monitors, printers, photocopiers, scanners, microwaves, DVD players, VCRs, stereos, camcorders, fax machines, phones, gaming devices and other electronics for safe disposal.

For a list of other electronics that will be accepted, go to www.ewastemaine.com.

The e-waste collection is not limited to Farmington residents. There is no set fee for this service. Donations will be accepted to support community service and outreach programs at Old South.

According to the Electronics TakeBack Coalition, there is at least as much as, and now probably more than, 50 million metric tons of e-waste disposed of worldwide each year. 

Less than 25 percent of the e-waste produced in the U.S. is responsibly recycled. However, since 2000, the amount of recycled e-waste has more than doubled.

When e-waste is buried or incinerated it can cause toxins such as lead, mercury and cadmium to leach into the soil or enter the atmosphere.

Some companies collect e-waste and illegally ship it overseas, where it ends up on the black market in countries like China, India and Africa creating environmental and health nightmares.

According to the EPA, e-waste is the fastest growing municipal waste category in America. Along with toxic heavy metals, cellphones also contain silver, gold, copper and palladium.

For every million cellphones recycled, thousands of pounds of precious metals can be recovered. The value of lost precious metals from dumped cellphones has been estimated at more than $60 million in gold and silver every year.

For information on e-waste disposal and recycling, contact the Old South First Congregational Church office at 778-0424 or 491-5919. No early drop-offs allowed.