Starting this week, consumers and businesses will not longer be able to throw away electronic devices with trash. The Pennsylvania Covered Device Recycling Act (CDRA) goes into effect Thursday, Jan. 24.

Passed in 2010, the CDRA requires that consumers and businesses not dispose of covered devices, such as computers, laptops, computer monitors, televisions and tablets with their trash. This means that trash haulers will no longer take covered devices unless the municipality has a curbside electronics collection program that ultimately sends the devices to an electronics recycler.

“This law is an important step toward further reducing the amount of waste disposed in our landfills,” DEP Secretary Mike Krancer said. “There will be a host of positive impacts from this law, such as deriving economic benefits from precious metals found in electronics, eliminating heavy metals in the environment and encouraging environmental stewardship.”