The program represents a sea change in King County, which forbade people in 2005 from putting computers, monitors, TVs and cell phones in the trash or taking them to transfer stations.
Seattle still has to negotiate with the companies paying for the recycling program, he said. "We're going to them and say we want to be part of your system," Conlin added. Curbside recycling might be part of the effort, although that might involve consumers paying an extra fee, he said.
In the meantime, people can chose among 28 different companies such as Staples and Total Reclaim, according to the King County's Solid Waste Division Web site.
The Basel Action Network (BAN) is skeptical of the program, fearing that the e-waste could end up in Third World countries for processing, according to its Web site. But Jason Purcell - who organized the free electronics-recycling event at Seattle Pacific University in March - said he would like to participate in the efforts[[In-content Ad]]