E-waste events collects 15,000 pounds
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PABLO — Sprouting like alien mushrooms from a pickup and trailer, old computers, massive microwaves and assorted radios, keyboards and computer paraphernalia were on their way to be recycled.
The second annual e-waste event was held on Salish Kootenai College campus on May 19 from 4 to 7 p.m., with another opportunity for folks to recycle on May 20 at the transfer station.
“There was a real rush right at the beginning,” Mark Nelson, Lake County Solid Waste District director said of the SKC event. “I saw a lot of people I know, and it worked really well.”
Nelson and Lake County recycling education coordinator Judy Preston offered their expertise to Americorps campus workers and other volunteers on SKC campus according to Jenny Wilson, team leader for Americorps Montana Campus Corps. Between the student volunteers, who loaded electronic items and the sponsors, residents just had to haul their old electronics to SKC or the transfer station
“The sponsors provided money so residents of Lake County could bring things in for free,” Nelson said.
Wilson said the Campus Corps is seeking to create a partnership between Salish Kootenai College and the community through its students. Last week was also National Americorps Week with all Americorps groups required to do a service project, Wilson said, so e-waste recycling fit the bill.
Nelson thanked SKC student volunteers Willy Bass, Quinton Decker, Shawn DeFrance, Bobby Jensen, Sasha Pietsch-Rivers, Burdette Birdinground and Amy Stiffarm.
About 15,000 total pounds of e-waste was collected at the two-day event according to Nelson, who said he still has nine pallets of electronic stuff to ship. Yellowstone E-waste Solutions in Billings is the company recycling the items.
