Three weeks after an electronics recycling company was accused of hazardous dumping, local environmental agencies are encouraging Pittsburghers to e-recycle with a different company -- and they promised that this time, the recycling will be done properly.

The Pennsylvania Resources Council and Penn Future are co-sponsoring a "TVs and More" recycling event this Saturday in the east parking lot of Heinz Field, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., where representatives from eLoop LLC, an electronics recycling company, will be collecting televisions, computers, cell phones and other electronics for recycling. The event is part of the "Black and Gold City Goes Green" campaign, an initiative launched last March to encourage Pittsburgh residents to make environmentally friendly changes in their lifestyle.

Penn Future Outreach Coordinator Joylette Portlock said the agencies sponsoring "TVs and More" hope it will bring more awareness about the importance of properly disposing of electronic equipment that can potentially harm the environment.

The event comes at a particularly pertinent time: On May 26, an environmental watchdog group released a report asserting that EarthEcycle LLC shipped used electronics from Western Pennsylvania to Hong Kong and South Africa, where old televisions and computer monitors likely ended up in toxic dumping grounds. The company collected the electronics in a fundraiser for the Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania Humane Society. And unlike most electronics recycling companies, EarthEcycle did not charge donors to recycle their used tech equipment.

"There's been a lot of exposure for the charlatans who may make people doubt whether they should make the effort to recycle their electronics," Dr. Portlock said. "But I'm here to tell you that recycling electronics is the right thing to do, and there's a right way to do it."

At Saturday's event, eLoop will charge $5 to recycle computers, $10 or more to recycle TVs (based on size) and $2 to $5 for other miscellaneous electronics.

Ned Eldridge, eLoop president, said legitimate e-recycling companies must charge donors to properly dispose of their used tech equipment because the process of removing recyclable metals from electronic hardware is expensive, and the monetary value of those metals has declined in the past year, so e-recycling companies realize less revenue from selling the metals. Additionally, he said, responsible e-recyclers must pay extra to keep their facilities environmentally friendly and safe for employees.

In addition to paying for e-recycling, Dr. Portlock said she also hopes Pittsburgh residents will support joint e-recycling bills currently passing through the state Legislature that would require TV and computer manufacturers to establish their own programs to collect and recycle products made by their company. If passed, the bills would also outlaw the disposal of electronic equipment in Pennsylvania landfills.