East Tennessee State University will conduct an eWaste Recycling Event on May 14-16 (Thursday-Saturday), from 9 a.m.-3 p.m., in campus Parking Lot 22a, which is parallel to State of Franklin Road and located behind Bojangles’.
Vehicles should enter ETSU campus from State of Franklin Road (opposite the VA entrance), turn onto Jack Vest Drive, and turn right to enter the parking lot.
Businesses and institutions are encouraged to bring old electronic equipment May 14-15 (Thursday-Friday), while individuals may bring their household eWaste on Saturday, May 16.
ETSU has created a Web site at http://www.etsu.edu/eWaste to provide information about the event, including a link where businesses and non-profit organizations may schedule a convenient drop-off time to keep any waiting period for unloading to a minimum.
Individuals using the service on Saturday do not need to register an arrival time.
As students leave the ETSU campus at the end of the spring semester, items they wish to recycle will be stored and contributed to the eWaste Recycling Event.
A complete list of the items appropriate for recycling is provided on the Web site.
Some of the items include computers, laptops, monitors, computer peripherals, televisions, stereos, fax machines, printers, DVD players, cell phones, radios, VCRs, telephones, typewriters, UPS systems, cables, cameras and tape players.
The recycling effort cannot accept home appliances, hair dryers, microwave ovens, overhead projectors, loose batteries, toner cartridges, cardboard, paper, Styrofoam, paint or hazardous equipment.
The corporate benefactor, Apple, Inc., will provide trucks, forklifts, pallets, shrink-wrap, and skilled laborers who will unload vehicles as they arrive.
The ETSU event offers a safe, efficient, and convenient way to dispose of eWaste, rather than having the items join the 70 percent of discarded computers and 80 percent of used televisions that eventually end up in landfills where they may leak lead, mercury, arsenic, cadmium, beryllium and other toxic materials into the soil.
“One of the best aspects of this event is that the materials will be sealed and secured on the trucks, then transported to a recycling center in LaVergne,” said Dr. Janet Keener, a manager in the ETSU Office of Information Technology and a committee member for this project. “No materials – not one item – will be shipped overseas where deplorable working conditions with hazardous chemicals are often used to extract metals.
The items are run through a mechanical shredder three times, which will guarantee that no data on any device is recoverable.
The resulting confetti-sized pieces are then processed and recycled. This is a great opportunity for businesses and individuals alike to be socially responsible.”
Last year, over 230,000 pounds of eWaste were collected at ETSU, and a combined total of almost one million pounds was collected at three sites across Tennessee.
Other Volunteer State hosts include The University of Memphis, The University of Tennessee – Knoxville, and the Tennessee Board of Regents. Locations of the other collection sites can be found at the ETSU eWaste Web site.
For further information, contact Keener at (423) 439-4648 or send an e-mail with “ewaste event” in the subject line to janet@etsu.edu.

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