IUSB holds 6th annual E-Waste Fest

Indiana University at South Bend held its sixth annual E-waste Recycling Fest on Saturday.

The event was to give residents an opportunity to dispose of electronic items they no longer need or want.

Electronic items accepted were: computer systems and accessories, audio and video equipment, cell phones, as well as other handheld devices.

IUSB's Center for a Sustainable Future put on the event in hopes of reducing electronic waste by recycling.

“Your electronic stuff has a lot of toxins in it that aren't really good to the environment, and another thing, there's a lot of value to them in terms of metals and plastics that can be reused,” said Mike Keen, Director of IUSB's Sustainability Program.

Over the past five years, the program has collected more than 1,250,000 pounds of electronic waste.

“Every day is Earth Day. Get up this morning, clean out those closets, and bring some stuff out,” he added.

They were partnered with Apple, Inc. for this project. Apple paid to bring a team in to do the work and hired about 25-35 people. Apple also funded the trucking and shredding.

“You don't have to worry about the security of your data because what happens is, you drop it off here, we put it immediately into a truck, we seal that truck, we ship it to Chicago, break the seal in Chicago, and then have it shredded,” Keen added.

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