On October 24th, University Facilities and Services teamed up with Sunnking to host the 7th annual E-Cycle Day. The line of cars began in Park Lot at 6:30 a.m. with people eager to drop off unwanted and out-of-date electronics. Although the event opened early, those morning hours in fact generated the most participation. One participant who arrived around 7:00 a.m. remarked as she handed off an old laptop, “I love this timing.” For many University employees E-Cycle Day provided a convenient location to recycle their electronics at times that fit in to their workday.
One car was so full that event volunteer Ulysses Holmes, skilled trades helper with Medical Center Facilities Operations exclaimed “Looks like we’ve got an electronics department in here!” Items dropped off mostly included keyboards, computer monitors, CRT TVs, microwaves, and laptops. There were also some eccentric items such as a Garfield themed telephone, Christmas lights, and some automated children’s toys. However big or small, the items added up to divert approximately 15,000 pounds of electronic waste from the landfill.
University Facilities and Services staff, Facilities Team Green student members, and Sunnking employees, all teamed up together to run E-Cycle Day. Delta Upsilon (DU) also co-sponsored the event sending volunteers in shifts throughout the day.
Sunnking’s Director of Community Outreach Programs Cindy Jessop was surprised at the number of CRT monitors received during the event. Jessop remarked, “We’re getting a lot more this year. Those monitors have slowed down because most people have upgraded already.” Thus, E-Cycle Day offered a nearby opportunity for University employees who had not had the chance to get rid of their outdated items a space to do so.
The event not only helped promote sustainability, but was also an interesting look into the history and evolution of technology. When one patron pulled up and was asked what he had to recycle he answered, “Some old-school stuff.” From his car he then removed an old Macintosh laptop which was much bulkier than the sleeker ones seen today, but surely one of the latest and greatest at the time it was purchased. A while later another participant dropped off an electric typewriter, providing a glimpse into the past that fascinated volunteers and DU brothers alike. Pictures of these items are available in our photo album here.
It was an unusual sight; a truck stacked with pallets of electronics stationed and skids of televisions wrapped in cellophane resting in a parking space. E-Cycle Day’s contribution to sustainability and aid to people striving to de-clutter their homes made it quite a successful event.
If you missed this year’s event, don’t worry. Just check out the nearby Ecopark, a “one stop-drop off” for recycling a variety of items.
Written by Julie Elliot, Class of 2015
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