General Growth Properties has notified me that EcoATM recycling kiosks will be removed from three Baltimore County malls. The kiosks, in which cell phones can be quickly recycled, will be removed from Towson Town Center, Owings Mills Mall, and White Marsh Mall by 2014.
The kiosks have been criticized by some community leaders as police deal with a rash of break-ins where robbers have targeted small electronics, such as cell phones.
In the Towson area, students and longtime residents have been burglarized by criminals targeting cell phones, iPods, and other items. There are concerns that these kiosks make it easier for criminals to quickly recycle these materials, and I applaud General Growth Properties for removing them from their Baltimore County locations.