Yellowstone E-waste Solutions employee Cody Brunk is shown "decommissioning" outdated electronics for recycling at the 2015 "E-rase your E-waste" collection event held Sept. 11-12 in Sidney. This is the 11th year for the event, which has kept nearly 190 tons of e-waste out of local landfills.
"E-rase your E-waste" organizers are pleased to report that more than 14 tons of e-waste was collected at the 2015 fall event on Sept. 11-12 in Sidney. Event e-cycler, Yellowstone E-waste Solutions of Billings reported this week that 28,456 pounds had been recycled at the Sidney event. "Once again we are surprised and pleased at the turnout for this event," organizer Jackie Couture said in announcing the results. "Our thanks to all who participated, helping to keep these items out of our local landfill so that they can be responsibly recycled or reused where possible."
The 28,456 pounds collected is more than was recycled at last year's fall event, but totals for the year were down because the group had to cancel its regular spring collection due to a backlog of CRT monitors and televisions clogging warehouses across the country. While the glut eased by fall, the continued high numbers of TVs in storage meant there was a small charge to recycle those items at the September event. Previously they were recycled for free. "We were concerned that the fee might deter participation, but with 92 televisions collected during the event, we saw no real drop off," Couture said. "And that's important because television sets contain a lot of lead, a hazardous material if it were to leak from our landfills, so we want people to be sure and recycle them."
A general breakdown of other items collected this year from the event's 133 participants (individuals, businesses, schools, churches, and other organizations) include: 192 monitors, 189 CPUs, 88 laptops, 151 printers, 7 fax machines, 13 copiers, 92 televisions, 718.5 lbs. of batteries, and 324 lbs. of miscellaneous items such as phones, keyboards, cameras, scanners, etc. "It was another great year," Couture noted. "This latest 14 tons brings our 11-year total to nearly 190 Tons of e-waste recycled from this community and the surrounding area!"
Looking forward to 2016, Couture noted that the group plans to reinstate the spring collection event in May.
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