On Friday, October 21, University Facilities and Services held its 15th annual E-Cycle Day from 6:30am to 1:00pm. Throughout the day, a total of 381 cars lined up in the Zone 3 South parking lot where University employees, students, alumni, and affiliates were able to drop off their old and unwanted electronics to be safely recycled. This year, there was a relatively steady crowd throughout the day with the highest number of participants dropping by between 10:00am and 12:00pm. While previous events used to see the highest volume of attendance in the early morning hours, this change is most likely due to the flexibility that has accompanied the increase in remote work. The electronics were recycled by Sunnking, a local EPA R2 certified electronics recycling, data destruction, and asset management company, specializing in end-of-life electronics and equipment.
This year, 23,718 pounds (nearly 12 tons) of electronics were collected at the event. Televisions (both CRT and LCD) accounted for the largest volume totaling 9,025 pounds. Pallets were filled with an assortment of other electronics, including but not limited to laptops, cellphones, microwaves, printers, keyboards, and stereos. Over the years, a total of 388,456 pounds (194 tons) of electronics have been collected and handled responsibly through E-Cycle Day.
The event would not have been possible without volunteers from the Delta Upsilon (DU) fraternity, who have partnered with the University on E-Cycle Day for thirteen years in a row. Customers dropping off their electronics were assisted by the DU volunteers, who tirelessly unloaded electronics from vehicles and sorted them onto pallets, wrapped them in plastic, and loaded them into Sunnking’s truck to be returned to the recycling facility.
DU brother Aahir Hattangdi (’24) mentioned that the event was an “amazing” experience. “It was a tiring process… but definitely exciting, since people brought electronics we hadn’t seen in our lifetime!” he said, mentioning that he had the chance to handle all sorts of electronics, including vintage televisions from the 80s. Hattangdi expressed how volunteering for E-Cycle Day complemented DU’s mission to make a difference through service, leadership development, and personal growth. He said that, through volunteer opportunities and long-term partnerships such as this one, “the DU culture makes sure you leave college well-rounded” and pushes students to make meaningful change.
Also volunteering their time to help out for the entire duration of the event, were Jacob Stokes and Josh Cassevoy of Medical Center Facilities Operations (MCFO). MCFO also makes it an annual tradition to send employees to work at E-Cycle Day. Sustainability Coordinator Amy Kadrie, who organizes the event, would like to thank all of the volunteers who “quite literally did the heavy lifting,” as well as Mike Chudyk from Horticulture and Grounds, who helped load pallets with a skid steer, the Department of Parking and Transportation Management, who help block of the needed space and place out signs to direct participants to the event, River Campus Facilities Operations and Cindy Jessop and the rest of the crew from Sunnking. Pictures from the event can be found on the UR Sustainable Facebook page.
Residents of Monroe Country who missed this year’s E-Cycle Day can start collecting electronics for E-Cycle Day 2023 or may utilize Ecopark, a recycling collection facility open year-long. Employees can also take advantage of University IT’s Equipment Recovery Program to securely recycle University-owned consumer electronics or personal electronics free-of-charge.
Written by Syeda Mahnoor Raza (’24)
Photos courtesy of Amy Kadrie
[Top Photo: Cars line up in the Zone 3 South parking lot as volunteers help unload electronics]