Dispose of E-Waste at Queens Botanical Garden on Sunday

The numbers just don’t add up. A glass bottle takes one million years to biodegrade, while a monofilament fishing line delays six centuries, and a plastic bottle takes 450 years. No wonder garbage dumps keep getting bigger and bigger.

Electronic waste is even more concerning. As it often contains lead, mercury, and cadmium, it is responsible for roughly 70 percent of the toxins in landfills, while making up only about 1 percent of their volume. That’s why e-waste recycling is required by state law as of January 1, 2015.

On Sunday, the Queens Botanical Garden will host a drop-off center for unwanted e-waste that will be disposed of in an environmentally responsible way that separates hazardous chemicals from water streams and the atmosphere.

Acceptable items include computers, fax machines, keyboards, printers, and scanners. (For a complete list, click here.) The event is sponsored by the Lower East Side Ecology Center.

Details: Summertime Electronic Waste Recycling Event, QBG Parking Lot, Crommelin Street between Blossom and Cherry avenues, Flushing, July 19, 10 am to 4 pm, free.

Bonus details: There will be a special workshop from 1 pm to 3 pm on July 19 during which children will be able to make crafts out of recycled and repurposed items.

Photo by Lower East Side Ecology Center