Residents can drop off broken computers and other electronic junk at University of Hawai'i campuses today as part of a new effort to make sure such "eWaste" is recycled in environmentally friendly ways.

Broken computers often include components that can be reused, and also contain small amounts of copper, gold and other metals that can be extracted and recycled, said Larry Wiss of UH Information Technology Services.

"We've received numerous calls from people who know about piles of eWaste just sitting outside buildings where children are just playing around them, and they're filled with lead and bromide and different kinds of chemicals," he said. "So this is a chance to get that kind of waste off the islands to be recycled in an earth-friendly fashion."

Today's "eWaste Disposal Day" is for residents, rather than businesses, he said. The event is the culmination of a successful weeklong effort at public and private schools that collected 30 large shipping container loads of electronic junk — the equivalent of 16,363 full trash cans.

The amount far exceeded what organizers had anticipated, and the junk included lots of equipment that was damaged during the Oct. 15 earthquake and blackout, he said.

Apple Computers is paying for the event and for shipping the materials collected, and is also staffing the event, Wiss said.