People in Bucks County, Pennsylvania flocked recently to the Middle Bucks Institute of Technology to drop off recyclable items that are often thrown into the landfill. Residents brought everything from car batteries to PCs as well as other regulated waste.
The hazardous-waste management company Clean Venture sees the Household Hazardous Waste and Computer Recycling Program as a chance to educate while offering recycling opportunities. The firm has sponsored such drives in the area for ten years and runs a total of about 200 similar drives each year. Bucks County will have six such drives in 2008. All waste collected is sent to the proper facility for recycling or proper disposal.
“I think it’s one of the things we really do well,” said Christopher Edwards, the deputy director of the Bucks County Commissioners Office of Public Information.
In addition to other recycling and waste resources, Supreme Computer and Electronics Recycling is responsible for demanufacturing computers, cleaning off hard drives, and often selling salvageable the parts.
“They take the computer completely apart and sell off the pieces,” said Mary Jo Kennelly, Clean Venture’s project manager.
Although Clean Venture has a wide array of items it collects, many still wind up in landfills because people don’t realize the items aren’t hazardous and therefore, don’t require any type of special treatment.
“Latex paint - that’s basically landfill,” Kennelly said. “It goes to a chemically secured landfill, and we solidify all liquids and solids. But most people can just throw out latex paint.”
To learn more about household recycling, go to: cyclechem.com
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