This year’s annual Household E-waste Round-up, which took place on October 29th, collected 34,851 lbs of electronics, 9,000 lbs more than last year.
The event took place in Park Lot, where student and staff volunteers greeted a steady flow of traffic from the UR Community. From 6:30AM to 5PM, workers enthusiastically emptied the vehicles of unwanted computers, monitors, keyboards and various other electronics.
Sunnking Inc., an electronics recycling company based in Brockport, was on hand all day to wrap the electronics and take the loaded trucks back to their facility where computer hard drives were destroyed to protect personal information, and any salvageable components were pulled out to be reused. All other components were recycled, and hazardous materials like lead and mercury were extracted and disposed of safely.
Our turnout was so popular the Sunnking truck was filled five separate times. Over 54 pallets were used to transport the electronics.
Delta Upsilon, one of our on-campus fraternities, also helped with the event by showing up with 8 student volunteers – the largest contingent from any one group throughout the day.
Rayna Oliker, the University’s Interim Recycling Coordinator, would also like to thank all the student and staff volunteers that helped us to make this event so successful, as well as Sunnking Inc. for their partnership with the University. If it weren’t for all of you, we couldn’t have moved a single monitor. Thank you for all your hard work!
Most importantly, we want to thank the UR Community for supporting this initiative. In three years, we diverted almost 85,000 pounds of unwanted equipment from your landfills.
“Why didn’t I know about this event before now?” some of you may be asking. Have no fear! If you missed this year’s event, just hang on to those old electronic and mark your calendar for the last Friday in October (10/28/11), courtesy of your University Recycling Coordinator and all of University Facilities and Services.
Hi Katie,
Thank you for your question! As of right now it is difficult to run a spring program because Rochester is a bit late to warm up, and as a university we are a bit restricted by course/faculty schedules. Unfortunately, the October date is at present all we can offer, but we will keep your request in mind for future events.
If you are interested in getting rid of your electronics before our next event, you can check the waste management list at (http://www.monroecounty.gov/des-electronicsrecycling.php). While there are many places in the area that recycle electronics, you may want to do some research before choosing as some electronic recyclers have been known to send material overseas where regulations are not as strict as they are here.
We contract with Sunnking in Brockport, who puts the best interest of the environment and human health first. I would highly recommend them if you are interested in finding a recycler for your electronics before next October. Check them out at: http://www.sunnking.com/.
Best Buy actually also seems to have a reputable program, they are recognized by the EPA and provide specific detail on their standards of practice, as well as a list of their partners, who are all US companies (http://www.bestbuy.com/site/null/null/pcmcat174700050010.c?id=pcmcat174700050010). They seem like a pretty safe bet, if you have trouble contacting other recyclers.
At most places, there is usually a small charge for the services associated with TV’s and old monitors, but some things they will take free of charge.
I hope this helps, and if you have any other questions feel free to ask!
Is there any chance of scheduling another date before Oct. 2011? How about a Spring date?