July 22 is an Electric Sunday

Fairfax County residents can recycle electronics free of charge at the county's Electric Sunday on July 22. The event will be held from 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. at the I-66 Transfer Station, 4618 West Ox Rd., Fairfax. Residents should bring proof of residency.

"Electronic items are so easily replaced by the newer, faster more advanced item, and people want to keep up with technology," said Pamela Cratton, recycling manager in the Fairfax County Division of Solid Waste Collection and Recycling. 

"What we've seen over the past couple of years is that the quantity of electronic waste has grown dramatically," she said. The division reports more than three million pounds of electronics have been recycled in Fairfax County in the last three years alone.

According to the division, recycling of electronics saves energy, protects the environment from harmful heavy metals in the electronics, and provides materials for new products.

Residents may recycle items including:

• Televisions
• Computers and peripheral devices, including keyboards, speakers, printers, scanners, external drives and other such materials
• Unbroken fluorescent light bulbs and tubes
• Recharable batteries
• Cell phones
• Cameras
• Fax machines
• Portable gaming devices;
• Video and audio equipment.

Cell phones may also be donated to:

• Fairfax County Commission for Women, which collects used cell phones, chargers and batteries to help victims of domestic violence.
• Fairfax County's Police Department's Call to Protect Program, which issues grants to victims of domestic violence. Cell phone collection boxes are located at every police station.
• Cell Phones for Soldiers Program, which works to turn old cell phones into minutes of prepaid calling cards for U.S. troops. Call 800-426-1031, TTY 711 for more information.

Electric Sundays are held monthly January through November from 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. The future 2012 dates and locations are:

• Aug. 26: I-66 Transfer Station, 4618 West Ox Rd., Fairfax
• Sept. 23: I-95 Landfill Complex, 9850 Furnace Rd., Lorton
• Oct. 21: I-66 Transfer Station, 4618 West Ox Rd., Fairfax
• Nov. 18: I-66 Transfer Station, 4618 West Ox Rd., Fairfax