EPA and Dell Inc. will join together to encourage greater-Washington, D.C. area residents and businesses to recycle unwanted computer equipment and cell phones at the 3rd annual EPA eCycling Event on Saturday, April 18 at the National Harbor in Prince George’s County, Maryland, according to an EPA press release.. The eCycling event will be held at the Plateau from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Area residents can bring any make or model computer and related equipment, including monitors, printers, scanners, keyboards, and mice, and EPA will recycle it for free in an environmentally safe manner. Those hoping to have their equipment recycled should first remove all data from the computer’s hard drive and any removable media such as disks, PC cards, and flash drives.

Recycling electronics is something every American can do to protect the planet and to encourage the sustainable reuse of materials. More than 2 million tons of used electronics are disposed of annually that may contain toxics such as lead and mercury. Recyclers can recover more than 100 million pounds of materials from these electronics, including glass, steel, and plastic.