University faculty and staff, along with the local community, helped divert an estimated 200 tons of electronic waste from landfills at the annual e-waste recycling event last month.
A record setting 5,000 vehicles passed through the drop-off locations during the three-day event, April 24-26. The community’s collective efforts filled 19 semi-trailers with recyclable electronics including laptops, desktops, televisions and microwaves.
“The turnout for this event continues to be strong each year even with the growing number of opportunities to recycle e-waste in the local area,” said Barbara Hagan, sustainability administrator the Office of Campus Sustainability.
“Our community demonstrates their commitment to living Planet Blue by taking advantage of this service to dispose of their electronics in an environmentally responsible manner.”
Hosted by the Office of Campus Sustainability in partnership the Ann Arbor Public Schools, the event is designed to help area residents, small businesses and non-profits dispose of electronics in an earth-friendly way.
Following collection, equipment is properly disassembled, shredded and recycled into raw materials by a fully licensed recycling facility in North America, and manufactured into new items.
Electronic waste is the fastest-growing type of waste worldwide and frequently contains hazardous materials like lead and mercury, which can adversely affect the environment and human health.
Since 2008, the event has filled a combined total of 125 semi-trailers, diverting more than 1,600 tons of electronic waste from local landfills, and supports the university's broader sustainability initiative known as Planet Blue.