Members of the University of Michigan community are invited to properly dispose of their broken or unwanted personal electronics at the annual e-waste recycling event May 5-7.
The event supports the university’s 2025 campus sustainability goals with a focus on the goal to engage the community in sustainability.
The Office of Campus Sustainability and Ann Arbor Public Schools are coordinating the three-day event, which is open to the public, local businesses and nonprofit organizations.
Accepted electronics include laptop and desktop computers, tablets, cellular phones, audio and video equipment, electronic accessories and office equipment.
Collections will occur at Pioneer High School and the U-M State Street Commuter Parking Lot. Logistics for materials drop off are:
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• Businesses and nonprofits: 8 a.m.-4 p.m. May 5, and 8 a.m.-3 p.m. May 6 at the State Street Commuter Parking Lot, 2694 S. State Street. Registration is recommended to ensure adequate staffing, michigan.poweron.com/p/register.
• General public: 9 a.m.-2 p.m. May 7 at Pioneer High School, 601 W. Stadium Blvd. The entrance is on Main Street at the first entrance south of West Stadium.
“This free e-waste recycling event is very popular among the U-M campus and the Ann Arbor community,” says Barbara Hagan, sustainability representative in OCS. “The numbers speak volumes. Since 2008, it is estimated that more than 26,000 cars have dropped off nearly 1,800 tons of materials for safe e-waste disposal.”
According to the EPA, e-waste continues to be a fast-growing municipal waste stream in America. Rapid changes in technology, changes in media devices and falling prices have contributed to this surplus waste. It is estimated that for each new product introduced in the market, one or more becomes outdated or obsolete.
“It is exciting to see the community engaged in the proper disposal of their old electronics and the effort to keep potentially harmful materials out of the landfills,” Hagan says.
Electronics often contain toxic substances that can leak into groundwater and cause pollution. Properly recycling these materials reduces the opportunity of hazardous exposure and minimizes the dangers to human health and the environment.
This is the ninth year the university and Ann Arbor Public Schools have sponsored the event. In 2015, more than 7,000 vehicles arrived to recycle an estimated 440,000 pounds of electronic waste.
The e-waste event brings awareness to the proper disposal of electronics and supports the university’s overall commitment to sustainability known as Planet Blue.
ron smolarski
I was out of town on business…can I still drop off computer equipment?