Drop off any make or model -- free. But don't bring your old fridge -- only computers and related equipment.

The computer giant says Saturday's event is intended to raise awareness of its environmental programs and drive down recycling costs to consumers, increasing the tiny percentage of computers that stay out of landfills.

Environmental groups, however, say the Austin, Texas, company is using the tour as a public relations ploy. Critics say Dell, the second-largest maker of computers behind Hewlett Packard Compaq, is a massive generator of electronic waste but is impeding the development of free-market recycling programs by contracting with a recycler that uses prison labor and questionable recycling practices. They urge consumers to stay away from the event.

Scott Klag, a solid-waste planner for Metro, is pleased that Dell is doing something.

"I view this as a positive development," Klag said. "I know people have questions about what they do with the stuff they collect. They'll have to make their own decisions about that."

All parties agree on one thing: E-waste is a growing problem -- according to some, the world's fastest-growing waste crisis.

"Just as technology on the front end has increased exponentially, the waste has followed the same trajectory," said Ted Smith, director of the Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition, a group protesting Dell.

The problem is not just one of quantity, observers say. Computers and their peripherals contain a hazardous brew of occupational and environmental toxics, including lead, mercury, beryllium, chromium, cadmium and brominated flame retardants.

Last year, the National Safety Council estimated that 63 million computers nationwide would be taken out of service in 2002 and that 85 percent of them would end up in landfills.

Portland consistently ranks among the top cities in the country in the number of homes with computers. Despite Oregon's leadership in recycling, the state has lagged other states in developing programs to recycle electronics. Several have banned computers and televisions from landfills. Others have set up curbside recycling for them.

Klag said Metro is hoping to develop a "take-it-back" program with computer retailers and manufacturers, and it would like to see national standards developed on collection and disposal.

State Rep. Jackie Dingfelder, D-Portland, also is pushing legislation to guide state purchasing and disposal practices, and to encourage manufacturers to participate in recycling programs.

Metro estimated last year that Portland-area households store more than 300,000 used computer monitors. That alone could make the Dell event a big draw.

Fourth stop on recycling tour Portland is the fourth stop on the company's recycling tour. The company originally set the goal of collecting 100 tons of old computers. It has netted 91 tons in Nashville, Tenn.; Columbus, Ohio; and Charlotte, N.C.

"We're looking for Portland to put us way over the top," said Cathy Hargett, a Dell spokeswoman.

The company says consumers can drop their gear from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at Portland Community College's Sylvania campus.

Computers containing Intel Pentium or newer chips are probably suitable for cleanup and reuse -- and a tax deduction. Two Portland -rea charities, the Oregon Technology Access Program and Students Recycling Used Technology, will use the machines.

Dell admits it uses Unicor, a contractor that employs federal prison labor, to recycle the machines. It says Unicor offers a nationwide network of drop-off sites, reducing transportation costs.

Unicor also specializes in recycling monitors, said Cathy Haggert, a Dell spokeswoman. Monitors have almost no residual value, but plenty of glass and lead to dispose of.

"Our goal is to drive down costs and eliminate barriers for customers to recycle," she said. "Unicor helps us do that."

Activists say Dell is taking the low road. They leafletted the recycling tour in Columbus and Charlotte, and they demonstrated dressed as prisoners outside Dell Chief Executive Michael Dell's keynote address at a big consumer electronics show in January.

"Electronics recycling is not a good fit for a prison industry program," said Robin Schneider, who is with the Texas Campaign for the Environment. "There are toxins involved. They don't have adequate health and safety measures, and it's a drag on free-market operators, who have to invest millions in sorting and safety equipment. They can't compete with prison labor."

Disposal practices questioned Moreover, environmentalists say "recycling" is often a misleading euphemism better translated as de-manufacturing, dismantling, shredding and burning. The Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition estimates that 50 percent to 80 percent of recycled computers are shipped to Asia, where shoddy recycling practices are creating an environmental catastrophe.

Smith, the activist, wrote to Michael Dell earlier this month after touring a Unicor facility. He said he was disturbed to see inmates using hammers and hand tools to smash monitors and other electronics containing hazardous material.

Larry Novicky, general manager of Federal Prison Industries, responded that his company met the highest occupational safety standards and that prison workers, although less productive, receive compensation, benefits and training through Unicor.

Haggert says Dell has a "no-landfill, no-export policy. All of our recyclers have to meet that."