To most people, being green just means replacing your old light bulbs with compact fluorescents, reusing plastic grocery bags, turning off the water while brushing and placing your empty aluminum cans and TPS reports into the appropriate plastic bins at the office.

That’s your daddy’s recycling; this is the digital age. These days, electronics manufacturers are rolling out newer, faster, smaller and cheaper gizmos so fast that the cell phone, television set, digital camera, or computer you thought was so cool when you bought it last week has been rendered obsolete.

Our growing obsession with — not to mention dependence on — personal technology is resulting in massive amounts of e-waste, however. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, every day Americans toss tons of recyclable materials into the garbage, including 130,000 personal computers and laptops and 350,000 cell phones.

Not only will the plastic never biodegrade, but electronics components also contain lead, mercury, cadmium and other poisonous materials that can leak from landfills.

“The city definitely wants to avoid polluting in that way,” says Wynne Coplea, manager of waste and management for Springfield’s public works department.

Three years ago, the city began offering recycling for old computers and TVs and beefed up the program in the fall in anticipation of the government-mandated switch from analog to digital broadcasting, originally slated to take place in February.

Under Springfield’s $10,000 contract with BLH Computers on Stevenson Drive, any city resident can drop off “any and all electronics — any age, any condition,” Coplea says. In addition to Springfield, Jacksonville, Taylorville, Williamsville, as well as Christian, Green, and Morgan County residents can recycle computers for free; nonres-