Schuylkill commissioners on Wednesday announced the county will not take electronics in the annual fall cleanup next month in light of an anticipated $187,000 cost.

"The costs associated with electronics are astronomical," said county Solid Waste and Recycling Coordinator Joseph Scribbick."We don't want to suspend the program, but we have no other choice for this year," he said.Last fall, the county collected 576,000 pounds of electronics free of charge, he said."We pulled 40 trailers of televisions, and probably 39 of them were CRT (cathode-ray tube) TVs," he said.This year's projected price tag, based on a collection of 600,000 pounds at 40 cents a pound, is "cost prohibitive," said county engineer Lisa Mahall."Market conditions have changed, and state reimbursements won't match the county's costs to run the program," Scribbick said."The days of free electronic recycling are out the door," he said.The county does not make any money on electronics recycling, Scribbick said.He pointed to a state law, the 2010 Covered Device Recycling Act, that governs disposal of electronics, as a big factor in the decision to suspend the collection this year."That's the biggest problem that created this statewide issue," Scribbick said.The act requires manufacturers to provide for recycling of covered devices, such as computers, laptops, computer monitors, televisions and tablets, and forbids putting them in landfills.Under the law, manufacturers are required every year to recycle the total weight of products they sold two years previously.But older electronics, especially the old cathode-ray tube televisions, are heavier than newer versions, so the weight quota is met by fewer devices."Once they collect their quota, they don't have to collect any more," Scribbick said. "There's a glut of electronics, there are just too many electronics for manufacturers and recyclers to collect."Further, more than 20 regional recycling sites have closed in western Pennsylvania.The law's sponsor, state Rep. Chris Ross, R-Chester County, plans to amend it, Scribbick said.Because old televisions, for example, can't be put in the trash, more of them are turning up dumped along back roads.Mahall said some people smash the sets, putting the pieces into the trash, which is illegal and dangerous.Schuylkill isn't alone in suspending electronic recycling, Scribbick said. Other counties include Luzerne and Wayne."It's a statewide issue," Scribbick said.