Takin' it to the trash -- or not

I was catching up with my NPR podcasts that other day when I heard a story about the USPS beginning a pilot program for recycling electronics. Unfortunately, the pilot program is not taking place around here. But that story did remind me of another resource available in Wake County, one you might find handy with spring cleaning and Earth Day coming up.

Trash Takers, brought to you by Wake County, is available at http://www.wakegov.com/recycling/trashtakers/default.htm . It's a database of companies and organizations that will help you get rid of your trash, or things that you might not consider to be trash but don't want.

You can search by item you want to get rid of. And while the standards are here -- electronics, telephone books, batteries -- you can also learn where to get rid of shoes, mercury, mobile homes, food, fire extinguishers, vinyl siding, and more. (It's a big list.)

When you select an item you'll get a table showing the name and city/state of the company, phone number, and whether they reuse, dispose of, or recycle the item. (The company name is also usually linked to its Web site as well.)

What the company does with your item depends. I looked up one category and found companies that would take the item for free if I brought it to them, while another wanted to charge me a fee for processing the item. So check around.