Choctaw Nation hosting E-Waste recycling event in Hugo
The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma will be hosting an electronic waste (e-waste) recycling event in an effort to reduce the amount of reusable raw materials placed in landfills.
The event will be from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 11, at the Choctaw Tribal Services, 304 Chahta Circle in Hugo.
Each collection will allow those seeking to dispose of electronic waste to do so in an environmentally safe fashion. E-Waste is the most rapidly growing segment of the municipal waste stream. It is produced when electronic products from homes, schools, and businesses become obsolete or no longer functional and need to be discarded.
E-Waste contains many valuable, recoverable resources such as aluminum, copper, gold, silver, plastics and ferrous metals, all of which require considerable energy to process and manufacture. Recycling old, unwanted electronics conserves natural resources, helps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and pollution, and saves energy and raw material resources. Recycling also prevents the toxic chemicals found in electronic components (mercury, lead, cadmium, beryllium and chromium) from leaching into our soil when land filled.
In observance with these facts, the Choctaw Nation encourages everyone to take part in this environmentally conscious effort. “ We want to make a difference in the environment by diverting waste from the landfill and we hope with events like this that all citizens will get involved to make Oklahoma cleaner and greener,” said Tracy Horst.
To put things in perspective, Choctaw Nation Recycling would like everyone to remember that, “Recycling one million laptops saves the energy equivalent to the electricity used by 3,657 homes in the United States in a year. For every one million cell phones recycled 35,274 pounds of copper, 772 of silver, 75 of gold, and 33 of palladium can be recovered.”
Acceptable items for recycling include:
• Personal computers
• Laptops & Notebooks
• CRT Monitors
• Flat screen monitors
• Keyboards & mice
• Printers & copiers
• Toner & ink cartridges
• Fax Machines
• Peripherals & gadgets
• Power supplies & chargers
• UPS systems
• Cables & wires
• Networking equipment
• Servers & racks
• Hard drive wipe ($20 fee)
• Small kitchen appliances
• Refrigerators
• Washers/dryers
• Other appliances (all sizes)
• Multi-media equipment
• Gaming equipment
• CD’s & video tapes
• Digital cameras
• Cell phones & PDAs
• Small electronic devices
• TV’s: tube and flat screens
• Rechargeable batteries
• Auto batteries
• Fitness equipment
• Medical equipment