October 27, 2004
High tech trash
Electronics Waste Collection hauls in 55,000 pounds
By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
The Electronics Waste Collection effort Friday ran like a well-oiled machine - in contrast to the 55,000 pounds of outdated equipment collected.
The computers, printers, copiers, fax machines, VCRs, stereos and televisions gathered were long past their heyday of electronic supremacy. An estimated 2,700 pieces were collected from 289 appointments made, which included residents from around the region.
As car after car pulled up to the loading dock at the former Parker Motor Freight building Friday afternoon and evening, volunteers sprang into action: unload items, sort and place on pallets, shrink wrap and quickly move each filled pallet out of the way so another could be loaded.
Jane Darling loaded her car with seven computer monitors before heading to the event, glad to rid her Real Estate One office of these dinosaurs.
"They've been stacked in the corner and we wanted to do this the right way," said Darling, who works at the Front Street office. "I knew that this took place and had called them months ago to find out about it."
A long-time supporter of recycling, Bob Heflin of Williamsburg brought a couple of computers he had not used for years.
"You have to be careful what you do with them," he noted of throwing away used electronics.
In all, the Electronics Waste Collection garnered 69 pallets of items from the community, nearly filling two semi-trailers. All items collected will be refurbished and resold or recycled, yielding materials such as metal, glass and plastic. An average personal computer, not including the monitor, is made of 40 percent steel, 30-40 percent plastic, 10 percent aluminum and 10 percent other metals, including copper, gold, silver, cadmium, and platinum
A $5 fee per item covered the cost of the collection, which was sponsored by the Grand Traverse County. Cell phones were accepted for no fee.
Kelly Ignace, resource recovery specialist for the county, noted that many people discard their computer every three years and buy a new one. With more than 50 percent of households in the United States owning personal computers, the potential for recycling unused electronic items will only increase. However, in 2001 only 11 percent of personal computers retired nationwide were recycled.
In Grand Traverse County, the percentage spiked for a time on Friday.
"It's piling in," said Randy Smith Friday afternoon, manager of resource recovery for Grand Traverse County. "The company that is taking the electronics is going to give us a certificate of recycling and an approximation of what was made out of it."
With studies showing that 75 percent of unwanted electronics are stashed in attics or basements, educating the public about recycling is crucial. To that end, Smith was videotaping the process and hopes to make a production for broadcast on tctv2.
Nineteen volunteers assisted during the six-hour event, helping hands that Ignace said were crucial to making it happen.
"We totally lucked out with volunteers, they were excellent, excellent workers," she said. "We didn't have any slack in the machine, it was great. It just seemed to be going really smooth."
Marlene Zylstra, the Benzie County recycling coordinator, volunteered her time Friday to learn how to run a similar event in her area.
"I'm amazed at how much is coming in, but you name it - schools, companies - everybody's constantly upgrading," Zylstra said. "I'm glad to see the people here doing the right thing."