Electronics Recycling Event in September

by 
Sandra Folzer, Weavers Way Environment Committee

You have more than a month, so check your basement and your teenager’s closet for unused electronics and get ready to bring them to our next electronics recycling event, Sept. 24, 9 a.m. to noon, as usual in the driveway circle at Norwood-Fontbonne Academy, 8891 Germantown Ave.

We will take anything that has a plug, plus more. Here's a list of items we can accept.

You may have noticed that there are fewer and fewer opportunities to recycle electronics. That is because recycling responsibly is expensive. We have to pay eForce, our recycler, $30 each to take TVs and other monitors, and $10 for microwaves and dehumidifiers. Once again we will accept used batteries at the reasonable rate of $1 per pound. We also have to pay a substantial fee for eForce’s services for the morning, so we are hoping that the community will be generous — so cash donations are welcome too! 

Weavers Way Environment Committee will use proceeds that exceed our cost for our Community Grant Program, which has benefited groups such as Henry School’s garden and DePaul USA’s organic garden for its homeless residents. Our recycling partner, Green in Chestnut Hill (GRinCH), uses its share for its Green Warrior Student Grant program. Volunteers from both groups will be working all morning Sept. 24 to move cars through as quickly as possible. 

By participating in our event, you are not just clearing out your junk. You are doing a good deed. Recycling responsibly ensures that electronics are not sent to Third World countries where children are often employed to extract the toxic precious metals. eForce, located in the Grays Ferry neighborhood, is not only local but also e-Stewards-certified. (Read more at e-stewards.org.) eForce “demanufactures” electronics, recovering raw materials for reuse in domestic manufacturing, which reduces the mining of raw materials. They seek the “highest reasonable reuse value for all materials” they collect. They strive toward a zero-landfill policy. And they create sustainable jobs here in Philadelphia. (Read more about eForce at www.eforcerecycling.com.)

We look forward to seeing you in September!