HILO, Hawaii — E-waste recycling centers on the Big Island are no longer accepting old computers, TVs, microwaves and printers.

Hawaii County’s agreement with a recycling contractor expired Dec. 31, and government officials are looking for money to fund a new contract extension. The county spent $320,000 last year subsidizing residential e-waste recycling.
The contractor, Recycle Hawaii, stopped accepting e-waste last week because its warehouses are full and it can’t afford to ship the excess to the Mainland.
The county wants to keep electronics out of landfills because they contain heavy metals such as lead, mercury and cadmium, all of which can contaminate groundwater.
Big Island residents are being asked to keep their old electronics rather than illegally dump them.