Dumping your old electronics is easy

 Q: Where can I take an old television to dispose of it safely?

— Marilyn, Rock Island

A: Electronic waste such as televisions, printers, VCRs and computers may be taken to the Electronic Demanufacturing Facility, 1048 E. 59th St., Davenport, at no charge.

Hours are 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday-Friday.

Disposal is free under an agreement between the Rock Island County Waste Management Agency and the Waste Commission of Scott County, which operates the demanufacturing facility. The Rock Island County agency reiumburses Scott County for its costs.

The facility opened in 2005 as a place where e-waste is literally demanufactured by components.

E-waste is defined as anything with a circuit board and/or cathode ray tube, including computer monitors,  televisions and VCRs.

Glass goes into one box, plastic cases into another, circuit boards into another and so forth and when the boxes are full, the contents are recycled. 

None of the material is refurbished or reused, so people don’t need to worry about data security with computers.

Every stripped-out component can be recycled except the wood from console televisions and stereo speakers.

Last year the facility recycled approximately 1.65 million pounds of e-waste.

For more information, call (563) 823-0119 or visit wastecom.com.

Q: What is the significance of the yellow stuffed lions that are awarded to the winners of the Tour de France and that Lance Armstrong has won? We have watched the Tour de France for several years and I’ve never been able to find out about the stuffed animal they award.

— Lois, Davenport

A: After doing some web sleuthing, it seems the lion is the mascot of Crédit Lyonnais, which sponsors the Tour de France. The bank also sponsors the Criterium International. The lion has been handed out since 1987 or so. There’s a twist. The lion is no longer the mascot of that bank because it changed its name to LCL. However, the mascot remains for the purpose of the tour, for the sake of tradition.

Q: Actor Ted Danson was on the show “Oceana” to go down to Louisiana for the oil spill. How can I contact him or Oceana? 

— Ken, Durant, Iowa

A: We found information at the website www.na.oceana.org. Oceana, founded in 2001, is the largest international organization focused solely on ocean conservation. Offices in North America, Central America, South America and Europe work together on a limited number of strategic, directed campaigns to help return oceans to former levels of abundance. Its scientists work closely with teams of economists, lawyers and advocates. Here is the organization’s contact information: Oceana, 1350 Connecticut Ave. NW, 5th Floor, Washington, D.C. 20036 USA or e-mail info@oceana.org.

(Answers provided by Times reporter Alma Gaul and the Davenport Public Library reference department.)