Not too long ago, Mainers were throwing away 60,000 to 110,000 TVs and computers every year, dumping them along with the thousands of pounds of contaminants they contained.

Now, a new state law requires all Maine municipalities to remove mercury from the waste stream, and in July the state added televisions, computer monitors and other mercury-laced electrical devices to the list of items that can no longer be thrown to the curb.

“Some of the items, such as thermometers containing mercury – if those items broke they would contaminate the soils,” said Lou Colburn, chief operator of the Brewer Wastewater Pollution Control Facility, on Tuesday.

“All these items now are being recycled, whereas before they were being thrown into landfills.”

In addition to mercury thermometers, other so-called “universal” wastes include: fluorescent light bulbs, mercury-containing thermostats, motor vehicle mercury switches, medical items, nonleaking polychlorinated biphenyl lighting ballasts, and rechargeable batteries commonly found in cordless power tools, cellular and cordless phones, laptop computers, camcorders, digital cameras and remote control toys.

The state’s E-Waste Law establishes a system in which consumers, municipalities and manufacturers share responsibility for ensuring that these residential electronic items are properly recycled to reclaim all useable parts and to prevent the release of toxins into the environment.

Each town can decide whether it wants to run a long-term collection center, set regular one-day collections, or have residents deliver directly to a nearby waste consolidator.

In order for residents to find out if a community accepts “universal” waste, DEP’s Bureau of Remediation and Waste Management has created a Web site that lists each community, the location of the facility, universal wastes accepted, charges, if any, and whether the site collects from residents, businesses or both.

For some, such as Brewer, Millinocket and 120 other communities statewide, municipal leaders have set up buildings to collect the items. Others, including Bangor and Hampden, have expanded collection programs.

Brewer offers universal waste drop-offs to city residents as well as residents of Holden, Orrington, Eddington, Dedham and Lucerne-in-Maine on the first Saturday of each month. The next drop-off will be 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 4, at 37 Oak St. Brewer residents do not have to pay to dispose of universal waste items, but residents of the partnering communities are required to pay a disposal fee.

In Bangor, residents can participate in Hazardous Waste Collection Day, held annually on the first Saturday in October, as a partnership between 20 or so neighboring communities, said Jerry Hughes, Bangor recycling coordinator and training officer for public works.

Last month’s Collection Day netted 808 TVs, 205 pounds of batteries, and 1,584 fluorescent lamps, for example.

“In addition to that, we started this year during spring cleanup to collect not all universal waste, but we collected televisions and computer monitors,” he said. “This last spring cleanup in Bangor, we collected four tractor-trailer loads out of here. Each was over 16,000 pounds.”

The Hampden Transfer Station accepts only some items, Town Manager Susan Lessard said.

“We take computers and TVs at the transfer station five days a week,” she said, adding that residents can dispose of universal and hazardous waste items during Bangor’s Hazardous Waste Collection Day.

In Bangor and other communities, residents also can use commercial businesses that offer universal waste disposal services for a fee, Hughes said. For Example, Wesco Distribution Inc., located in the Bangor Industrial Park, accepts TVs and computer monitors for $25, mercury thermostats for $5.25, and fluorescent tube lighting for 12 cents a foot.

Even though the state didn’t require the collection and recycling of universal waste, TVs and computers until this year, Brewer built a facility in 2002. Then Brewer residents recycled 15,000 pounds of universal waste. In 2004, residents recycled 45,000 pounds, Colburn said.

“[Residents] actually are helping to save the environment,” he said. “Every year, we’ve seen a marked increase in the amount of universal waste we take in as people are becoming more and more aware.”

Information on the E-Waste Law and universal wastes is on the DEP Web site. To find out where to dispose of items statewide, go to: www.maine.gov/dep/rwm/hazardouswaste and select “universal waste collection sites.”