Free electronic recycling event held helps Springfield residents get rid of unwanted electronics - WWLP.com

Free electronic recycling event held helps Springfield residents get rid of unwanted electronics | WWLP

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) — The City of Springfield along with Keep Springfield Beautiful and Roca collaborated on Saturday morning to host a Free Electronics Recycling Event for Springfield residents. Over 500 cars came to the DPW to drop off televisions, phones, computers, printers, remotes, stereos, air conditioners, monitors, batteries, wires, cables, cameras, keyboards and more.

“We filled up two dump trucks already! We then loaded up all of this right here, and cars are still coming. We got here at 8:30 and the DPW guys were already here previous to that with trucks filled up so I can just imagine.” said Michael Roper, the Roca Supervisor.

In total, over three full trucks were needed to take every single electronic to a facility that will properly dispose of them, and why this is so important is that disposing of electronic waste that will end up in landfills has the potential to cause severe risk to human and environmental health.

Not only is this event cleaning up the city and people’s homes, it’s saving people money. On average recycling a TV costs $30, but here on Saturday, it’s free. Many of the cars that pulled up to the bevy of volunteers at the DPW were recycling multiple things, some of which brought you back in time.

“Because the costs to get rid of these things are so prohibitive a lot of people will just dump it on the side of the road, they’ll dump it on vacant lots,” expressed the President of Keep Springfield Beautiful, Melvin Edwards, “It’s more of a housekeeping thing, but it’s to the benefit to the residents to have a economical way to get rid of electronics which are very difficult to get rid of.”

This particular event is over, but Edwards stressed to 22News that if anyone has old electronics to please never throw them out regularly and to keep a look out for when and where they can take part in other events like these.