Summer-Month E-Waste Collections A “Huge” Success

Even with its annual September weekend event yet to come, “E-rase your E-waste” organizers are already pronouncing 2011’s collection effort a “huge” success. “Although we’re still waiting to hear officially from our e-cycler, we anticipate that we’ve collected over 40,000 lbs. of e-waste already,” E-rase your E-waste Committee Co-chair Jackie Couture said Monday. “That’s nearly equal to our two best collection years to date and we expect to set a new yearly record when we do our final e-waste collection for 2011 on Sept. 9-10.”

Couture, and fellow e-waste committee member, Butch Renders, thanked everyone for participating in this year’s new summer-month “mini” collections. The four-hour events were held once a month from May-August. “We thought we’d try it out and see how it went, and it’s been a huge success with people bringing in an estimated 10,000 or more pounds of electronic waste each of the four days,” Renders said. “Now we just have to get ready for our annual weekend collection in September.”

That event is set for Friday and Saturday, Sept. 9-10 from 8 a.m.-6 p.m. on Friday and 8 a.m.-1 p.m. on Saturday. The weekend collection is also being held at the Richland County Shop, 2140 W. Holly, Sidney, next to the fairgrounds. Signs will be posted.

The weekend event is FREE and is the final collection planned by the E-rase your E-waste team in 2011. UNICOR is again the e-cycler.

“This is your last chance for this year,” Couture noted. “So if you have old, obsolete electronic items cluttering your basement or garage, bring them on down. Not only will you have cleaned out your closets, but you’ll know that those items are being recycled properly and not creating a potential health hazard here or anywhere else.”

More information on acceptable items for e-cyling is available at http://www.ars.usda.gov/npa/nparl/ewaste. Businesses, schools and other organizations with large amounts of e-waste to recycle are asked to make an appointment to drop off their items by calling Jackie Couture at 406-433-9422. Please leave a message.

The E-rase your E-waste effort in Sidney is coordinated by members of the Richland County Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC), Richland Opportunities Inc., and volunteers with other community organizations. Several local businesses including Sidney Health Center, Lower Yellowstone REA and Sidney Sugars as well as the city of Sidney, Richland County and the Montana Department of Environmental Quality have also provided financial, in-kind and promotional support.

 

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