Tulsa Company Holds Drive To Recycle Old Electronics

Tossing your old electronics in the trash can be bad for the environment, and sometimes getting rid of them properly can cost you.

But this month, it's easy and free to get rid of those old gadgets.

It's something many can relate to.

"They don't want to throw it away, they don't know what do with it so it just sits in the garage or closest and just starts building up," President of Natural Evolution Inc. Traci Phillips said.

Phillips is talking about old electronics that no longer serve a purpose -- old computers, broken TVs, maybe even an iron that's run out of steam.

"All the materials that are in electronics can be recycled, so instead of having it go to a landfill and be waste, then it can actually be reused," Phillips said.

Natural Evolution, Inc., is an electronic recycling company in the heart of Tulsa.

The company works year-round to help minimize the carbon footprint.

"By bringing it here you know that it's 100 percent recycled and that it's recycled properly," she said.

On a normal day it would cost $15 to recycle a TV and $5 for a monitor.

But this month, Natural Evolution is waiving all costs in their electronic waste drive and taking in all accepted items for free.

It's an offer Brad Aschey couldn't pass up.

"I know that electronics leak out some toxic materials, so that's why I made sure we recycle it responsibly," Aschey said.

Phillips says LCD monitors, TVs and laptops use mercury bulbs, while other some electronics contain lead.

If those materials aren't disposed of properly, Phillips said they'll end up in places they don't belong, like the water system.

"It's not the one that's a big problem, but when you look at the magnitude and the volumes and you start putting that amount together, then it becomes a real issue," Phillips said.

It's an issue Phillips and her company are taking on, one computer or TV at a time.

There are some items the company won't accept, like air conditioners and smoke alarms.

To learn more about the drive, click here.