The Town of Cary was the first in the state to offer curbside pickup of discarded computers for recycling. Only in the past two or three years have local governments begun to realize that old computers in landfills can cause serious health problems because they contain toxic heavy metals such as lead, cadmium, mercury and chromium.

In 1998, over 20 million personal computers became obsolete in the United States, according to the National Safety Council with about half a million of these in Triangle homes. The first seven months of the computer recycling program in Cary has substantially reduced the waste of computers in landfills.

If your computer is in working order, please consider reusing it by donating it to one of the following organizations:

• Goodwill Industries at 220 Kilmayne Drive in Cary (919) 467-7048
• ExplorNet at 4909 Windy Hill Drive in Raleigh (919) 878-0533
• Disabled American Veterans at 2418 Crabtree Blvd. in Raleigh (919) 833-7939
• Wake Health Services, Inc. at 2620 New Bern Ave. in Raleigh (919) 250-2925
• NetCorps, 711 Iredell St. in Durham, (919) 416-1513

If your computer is obsolete (very old), broken, or otherwise unsuitable for donation, call the Public Works and Utilities Department at (919) 469-4090 to schedule a pick-up. All computers that are collected at curbside are slated for the Town's processor and cannot be accessed by others.

Public Works & Utilities Department Homepage

Town of Cary Homepage