The Michigan Technology Network with support from Grand River Connection, Power On, St. Stephen’s Community Church, and Retro DC Designs announced today that they will be hosting a free e-Waste Recycling Event from 5:30pm – 8:30pm on Thursday, January 26, 2012.

This rare opportunity offers consumers the chance to properly dispose of cell phones, batteries (of all kinds), computer accessories (keyboards, mice, cords, cables, software), computer monitors, desktop/tower computers, laptops, tablets, TVs (under 32"), and video game systems.  (Donations are limited to this list.)

The drop-off location is St. Stephen’s Community Church located at 1007 Kimberly Dr., in Lansing just west of Frandor Shopping Center. 

For residents concerned about the privacy of their data, Power On – Lansing’s computer repair and tech support center – has prepared a tutorial for completely wiping a hard drive.  Donors are expected to complete this step before dropping off items.  Technology collected at the event will be tested, rebuilt if possible, and donated.  Remaining items will be recycled and disposed of properly. 

Due to legal reasons, this event is for individual and consumer e-waste ONLY. The Michigan Technology Network is not able to accept e-waste from companies and organizations.   

Five Interesting Facts about e-Waste: 

(source: www.dosomething.org)

1. The nation now dumps between 300 million and 400 million electronic items per year, and less than 20% of that e-waste is recycled.
2. E-waste represents 2% of America's trash in landfills, but it equals 70% of overall toxic waste.
3. It’s energy efficient to rebuild old computers, but only about 2% of PCs ever find their way to a second user.
4. About 50 millions cell phones are replaced worldwide a month, and only 10% are recycled. If we recycled just a million cell phones, it would reduce greenhouse gas emissions equal to taking 1,368 cars off the road for a year.
5. Large amounts of e-waste have been sent to countries such as China, India and Kenya, where lower environmental standards and working conditions make processing e-waste more profitable. Around 80 % of the e-waste in the U.S. is exported to Asia.

Volunteer

We are also seeking volunteers to help with this event between the hours of 4:00 PM to 10:00 PM. If you are available please sign up to volunteer here!

Event Sponsors

• Michigan Technology Network
• Power On
• Grand River Connection
• St. Stephen’s Community Church
• Retro DC Designs

More Information

• Download Press Release (PDF)
• Download Event Poster (PDF)
• Event Details
• Tutorial on completely wiping a hard drive
• Guide on buying a new computer
• Map / Directions to Drop Off Location (St. Stephen's Community Church)