Post-Christmas Ecycling Event in Birmingham, Ala. Results in Record 85 Tons Collected
85 ton, 3-day ecycling collection event cements Birmingham's position as the Southeast's largest electronics recycling event and may now make it the largest in the nation
Birmingham, Ala. (PRWEB) January 1, 2007 -- Thousands of the Birmingham region's citizens dropped off unused electronic equipment over the past Thursday through Saturday afternoons at TechBirmingham's post-Christmas Ecycling Event. During the first day at Vulcan Park, volunteers filled 15′ 1-800-Got-Junk? trucks several times, plus five (5) large pickup trucks and two (2) 12′ trailers. For the CompUSA site in Hoover, three (3) 26′ trucks from Metro Truck Rentals were rented and kept in constant rotation over the two days. TechBirmingham estimates that the total received over the three-day event equates to 85 tons of equipment collected… exceeding any of its multi-location single day events by at least 10 tons.
Several thousand items were collected including computers, monitors, printers, scanners, speakers, mice, stereo equipment, and miscellaneous computing pieces. In addition, such oddities as two TRS80 Model IIIs and a Commodore 64 still in its original box were received. These will be donated to the McWane Science Center in downtown Birmingham for an expected display of vintage computing equipment. No televisions or microwaves could be accepted since there is no acceptable method of recycling available at this time.
A few dozen faithful volunteers staffed the collection locations, working tirelessly over 6 hours each afternoon. They greeted the thousands of cars, minivans, and trucks that came to drop off their unused equipment after reading about the event in the papers and hearing the numerous television stories about the event. Some got emails from Vulcan Park or TechBirmingham or calls from friends and neighbors who came the day before. One person even drove from as far away as Montgomery, Ala. to deliver a pickup truck load of used equipment after hearing about it through the media blitz this past week.
Staff of Birmingham-based Alabama Computer Computer Disposal Group (ACDG), TechBirmingham's electronics recycling partner, worked straight through each of the three nights and days to unload the trucks. Reusable computing equipment has been set aside for allocation to local non-profits under the direction of TechBirmingham. The remaining equipment, some 95-98% of all the units received will be demanufactured by ACDG and its subcontractors.
If anyone missed this post-Christmas event, they only need wait until the regularly scheduled TechBirmingham Ecycling Day 2007 this coming April. Historically the event has been held on Earth Day (April 22), but in 2007 that day falls on a Sunday. For that reason, the event is expected to be held on April 21st instead. TechBirmingham will announce the dozen (or so) locations in the month before the event and publish all information on TechBirmingham's EcyclingDay.com website.
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