E-cycling event rids residents of unused electronics

On Saturday Wahkiakum County Health and Human Services (WCHHS) in collaboration with E-Cycle Washington held the county's first coordinated electronics recycling event. Residents began dropping off unwanted electronics at the Wahkiakum High School parking lot starting at 10a.m. Staff from UpTekk Recycling along with WCHHS Community Health Advocates took many items that had been sitting in people's homes and businesses and were collecting dust. Flatscreen televisions seemed to be the most popularly donated item of the day, but the program had the capacity to recycle a number of aging and unused items; computer monitors, laptops, tablets, tube televisions, and portable DVD players were among the accepted donations.

Emma Diffendal, WCHHS's Environmental Health Specialist, organized the event in collaboration with E-Cycle Washington and the Department of Ecology. "We were really excited to get an electronics recycling event going out here," Diffendal commented. "People don't have a lot of options for getting rid of unwanted electronics in this county, so we were really grateful to everyone for making this happen."

Diffendal enlisted the help of Community Health Advocates from Wahkiakum High School as well. "The volunteer turnout was great," Diffendal stated. "It was a great opportunity to work with the Community Health Advocates promoting another side of public health."

Residents who dropped off devices had positive comments for the staff and volunteers. "You guys did a great job promoting this," one resident said, loading a flatscreen onto the UpTekk truck. "I saw the event posted online and in the paper." Another resident brought by a few small electronic items. "Thank you for allowing this thing to be done," she expressed.

In addition to reducing burden to residents, e-cycling also keeps a lot of waste out of landfills. UpTekk Recycling estimates that 90% of what is normally thrown away could potentially be recovered and used in new products. The tally of weight from recycled items will come in the next few weeks, after devices get sorted.