Decluttering E-waste
E-waste lurks everywhere. Do you have a pile of electronics collecting somewhere, but you’re not sure what to do with it all? How about broken lamps, old vacuums, ancient surge protectors you no longer trust, CD and cassette players, flip phones and random chargers (with no known devices) tucked in drawers? What to do with it all? Your municipality no doubt has tox drop days, but there are other options!
Spirit & Space organizers routinely remove unneeded electronics and other items with cords (working or not) to recycle them responsibly. We transport them as a service to our clients and to keep them out of the landfill. In Indy we’re most likely to take this kind of recycling to RecycleForce, which provides workforce training while also recycling millions of pounds of electronics (basically anything with a cord). Of course, we also donate working items to places that can use them; just today I dropped off a lamp to a nonprofit that settles refugees.
Did you know that it’s recycling day every day at Staples? Recently I was surprised to learn just how much you can take to Staples for recycling. You may already know that they recycle tech, toner and ink cartridges; you can even get cash rewards for some of those items. But did you know you can recycle batteries, SodaStream CO2 cylinders, and even PENS there? Last year I had a client who had a whole box of pens she wanted to recycle; I wish I’d known about the comprehensive recycling program at Staples then. Best Buy is another option for recycling a whole host of items, including music, movies, and video games. They even have a mail-in service if you live far away from a store. Check out store websites for the lists accepted for recycling at these retail outlets.
And speaking of recycling,…
Folks on the north side of Indianapolis may be glad to hear that RecycleForce has a drop off location at St. Luke’s Methodist Church near 86th and Meridian. Look for the large shipping container in the northeast corner of the parking lot behind the church for e-waste drop off; it’s accessible 24/7. After hearing about this drop off location, a friend texted me this past weekend: “Huge thanks for the tip about e-cycling at St. Luke’s. I took a trunk full of things that I had been collecting for about three years, found the e-cycling container with no problem. It had plenty of room and now the stuff is gone from my garage, which makes me very happy!”
