Many people face a dilemma when it comes time to dispose of an old television.

It can’t be put in the trash on garbage day. It can’t be taken to a landfill. Many thrift stores or donation centers won’t accept it. A late-night drop-off in an apartment complex dumpster could lead to police action.

Old televisions, as well as computers, appliances and other electronics, should be recycled.

“They are banned from disposal in King County,” said Jeanette Brizendine, Federal Way’s recycling project manager.

Most of the time, appliances and electronics are banned from landfills because of hazardous chemicals in them, Brizendine said. Televisions, for example, often contain dangerous heavy metals such as lead, mercury and chromium.

“For the most part, they try to keep it so that there’s no runoff or leakage from the landfill that goes into the soil, but there is a possibility of that, so we want to make sure that what we put in there is as clean as possible,” Brizendine said. “We want to keep all the hazardous materials out.”

If hazardous materials did leak from a landfill into surrounding soil, it could affect plants and wildlife, Brizendine said.

To make it easier for Federal Way residents to dispose of items properly, the city will host a recycling event this weekend. Televisions, appliances, computers and other items will be accepted. There will be a fee for some items.

The city will work with local recycling companies such as Total Reclaim to be certain that items left at the event are properly disposed. Electronics and appliances will be disassembled and all the metal, plastic and glass parts will be recycled. Coolant in refrigerators and freezers will be properly handled.

“They also try to reuse when possible,” Brizendine said.

Although efforts are taken to protect personal information, people who bring computers to the recycling event are encouraged to damage their hard drives to ensure that private information cannot be taken from them. Brizendine recommends putting a nail through the hard drive or drilling a hole through it. There are also hard drive cleaning programs available online.

Federal Way hosts community recycling events twice a year. The program is funded by grants from the Washington State Department of Ecology, the local Hazardous Waste Management Program in King County and King County Solid Waste.

Contact Margo Hoffman: mhoffman@fedwaymirror.com or (253) 925-5565.

The City of Federal Way will host a community recycling event from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sept. 27 at the Twin Lakes Park and Ride on the corner of 21st Avenue Southwest and Southwest 344th Street.

Items accepted include appliances, scrap metal, petroleum products, clean wood, batteries, tires, computers, televisions, electronics, fluorescent tubes, wires, cords, nursery pots, flowerpots, flats and greenhouse sheeting and clean packing peanuts. There will be a $10 fee for computer monitors, refrigerators, freezers and air conditioners. The fee will be $20 to $25 for televisions. For a complete list of items that will be accepted, visit www.cityoffederalway.com/recycling.

To learn more about a free electronics recycling program Washington will start in 2009, visit www.ecyclewashington.org

To find other local recycling events, visit www.metrokc.gov/dnrp/swd

To learn how to properly dispose of or recycle common items, visit www.metrokc.gov/dnrp/swd/wdidw/