Students expected to toss tons of used electronics
CALIFORNIA — Nnearly 6,000 pounds of used electronic items were recycled as students moved out of apartments and dormitories at California University of Pennsylvania last May.
Still, there were televisions and microwave ovens in the trash on the last day of collections before students left for the summer, according to John McGarvey, manager of County Hauling in Belle Vernon. McGarvey said he wants to improve the recycling program this year.
This year, instead of one electronics recycling day in the middle of what has come to be known as Move Out Week, May 7-11, McGarvey said his company has scheduled two days at the end of the week. This year’s location, the corner of Third and Green streets, is closer to campus.
“That transition at the end of the school year is always a difficult one in any college town,” said univeristy spokeswoman Christine Kindl.
McGarvey said the first year his company had the hauling contract in the borough his crew was overwhelmed when they showed up in California for the regular Friday trash collection. McGarvey said County Hauling now views the week as an opportunity for spring cleaning throughout the town, not just in student housing areas.
“We do the whole borough. It’s a community-wide cleanup. Even though it’s not required by our contract, we do it because we want to keep the borough clean during this transition period,” McGarvey said.
County Hauling trucks will be going through the community every day from May 7-11 picking up trash and discarded household goods such as couches and other furniture. Used electronic items will be collected for recycling May 10 and 11.
McGarvey said anyone, student or not, can bring computers, monitors, microwave ovens, cellphones, televisions, printers, fax machines or any other old electronic device to the recycling site at Third and Green streets. There is no fee for the recycling of the electronic items.
“They’re taken by a certified recycler and they are recycled. They take out all the precious metals and everything. Sometimes the chips can be recycled,” McGarvey said.
“Our Eco Action CLub, Americorps students and possibly Alpha Lambda Delta, the freshman honors society, are going to help oversee the electronics collection,” Kindl said. “It’s just a way to get those electronic things out of the trash stream, and it’s going to be the law in 2013, so it gets people in the habit.”
McGarvey said items containing Freon, such as refrigerators and air conditioning units, will not be accepted either for recycling or during the trash collection.
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