When many MU students were busy driving down I-70 to come back to MU on Jan. 14, Columbia held an electronic waste recycling program sponsored by the Mid-MO Recycling Center, the city and Home Depot.
Most electronic items were accepted for no charge, including CPU’s, printers, keyboards, laptops, cables and cell phones. Some items, such as monitors, portable televisions, console televisions and microwaves were accepted for a fee anywhere between $5 to $25, according to a news release.
Refrigerators and other hazardous materials were not able to be recycled.
This event started two years ago and since has been held three or four times per year when the recycling center has a truck available. Public Works Department spokeswoman Jill Stedem said it is intended not only to keep electronic items out of the landfill and let them be reused by others to save landfill space, but also to provide an easy way for citizens to recycle electronic items.
Last Saturday’s electronic recycling program brought in the most recyclables yet this year. Stedem said about 70 percent of the items currently in the landfill could have been recycled.
“We have collected about 46,694 pounds of electronic items,” said Layli Terrill, Solid Waste Division waste minimization supervisor.
Stedem said the timing of the event had nothing to do with the college schedule, and students are also encouraged to recycle their old electronic items.
“Boone County has a population of close to 200,000 people, many of whom are concerned about the environment, proper disposal and proper recycling,” she said. “The event is open to everyone, not just Columbia residents.”
Freshman Nicole Groves said the reason she thinks not many MU students participated is because some items cannot be recycled.
“Most of the time, I just take things home to my parents when they break or I do not use them anymore,” Groves said. “At the same time, I think a lot of students would not participate either because nobody wants to drag extra stuff back to the dorms or apartments when they don’t have to.”
