This year, Ohio University's recycling program is going beyond paper, plastic bottles and aluminum cans.

Within the next few weeks, OU is expanding its recycling program to include electronic waste like ink cartridges, cell phones, CDs, palm pilots and videotapes, said Ed Newman, refuse and recycling manager. Electronic recycling bins will be placed in the dining halls where students can already recycle paper, bottles and cans.

The bins in the dining halls will mark the beginning of the electronic recycling initiative, which Newman said he hopes to eventually expand to residence halls.

"Over the course of this year, I'm going to build it up," Newman said.

Though Newman has set no official date for the program's start, he said the program will be promoted by public service announcements, bulletin boards, sandwich board signs and e-mails.

Tyler Dawson, president of OU's Sierra Student Coalition, a branch of the nation's oldest and largest environmental group, said he supports the decision to add electronic recycling bins.

"Improper disposal of these and many other items have varied effects on our environment," Dawson said. "There could be hazardous materials within them that later leach out into ground water supplies."

There are major health hazards associated with the improper disposal of electronic waste, or 'E-waste,' according to a 2004 Environmental Protection Agency Semiannual Report to Congress.

"Two million tons of E-waste are estimated to be generated each year that may contain high volumes of heavy metals, including an estimated 300 million pounds of lead," the report states.

Though OU already holds Recyclemania, a 10-week recycling competition between universities set to run Jan. 29 to April 8, this new electronic initiative will not be a part of it. Newman said including electronic recyclables would make the competition more complicated and less accessible to schools. Electronic recycling could be added to a later competition, Newman added.

Newman said he expects the number of schools participating in Recyclemania to double this year.

"It's been enjoying exponential growth in its five-year existence," he said.

One reason Recyclemania participation might expand is that it has begun a partnership with the National Wildlife Federation's Campus Ecology Program, an environmental conservation organization that encourages environmentally friendly campus living. The Campus Ecology Program is promoting RecycleMania among its more than 100 member schools, Newman said.