Earth Day Ewaste Recycling Drive set for April 23
Spring cleaning season is here, and you might be wondering what to do with a stockpile of unwanted and even nonworking electronics, cords, and cables.
Bring them to Integrated Building Systems on April 23, 2021, for our 9th annual Earth Day Electronics Recycling Drive! This community event will be held at 950 Michigan Avenue, Columbus OH 43215 from 8 am to 2 pm.
Participants lined up for curbside recycling of electronics and paperwork at the 2020 event
Earth Day is recognized globally on April 22, with observances by an estimated worldwide audience of more than a billion people.
Ewaste creates toxic landfills
The Electronics TakeBack Coalition reports that hazardous materials in ewaste like lead and mercury can leach out of landfills into groundwater, and that incinerating the plastics in electronics emits cancer-causing dioxins and furans. The batteries in electronic products also contain heavy metals that can leak into groundwater supplies once the batteries erode.
Ewaste accounts for just 2% of the material in landfills, but it creates 70% of the toxic waste found there.
Recycle your unwanted electronics at our event and join Integrated Building Systems’ effort to keep ewaste toxins from polluting the environment.
Curbside and contact-free recycling
It's easy to recycle at this community Earth Day event!
Collect your items from work or home, then drive them over for curbside drop-off. Masked team members from Integrated Building Systems will even unload your vehicle for you!
Masked team members from Integrated Building Systems at the 2020 recycling event
Since 2014, Integrated Building Systems has partnered with RenTek for ewaste recycling services. RenTek is a licensed and bonded recycler with a purpose: to make the world a better place, one job at a time, by providing workforce development training for individuals with barriers to employment, including Down syndrome, autism, and other developmental disabilities.
There is no fee to recycle most items such as hard drives, laptops, keyboards, mice, cords, cables, and network devices. Fees are charged to cover the costs of processing hazardous material and excessive plastic. Visit our event page for details.
Free paper shredding
In addition to e-waste, this event will accept paper for free shredding. There is a limit of 5 banker boxes that can be dropped off per person. Bring any color paper, brochures, envelopes, paper with staples or paper clips, books, magazines, newspapers, legal pads, confidential papers, and sticky notes.
Since 2013, Integrated Building Systems has collected over 100,000 pounds of ewaste at 8 Earth Day events, and 20,000 pounds of paper shredding at the past 4 events.
Ewaste Recycling FAQs
I’m concerned about data security on the devices I want to recycle. What is the process for data destruction?
RenTek provides electronic recycling for every type of business, from law firms and banks to medical centers and hospitals. These organizations have and continue to trust RenTek to securely erase the data on their equipment. Working hard drives are scrubbed with Darik's Boot and Nuke (DBAN) software for a three-pass destructive data wipe. Working cell phones are reprogrammed to factory defaults and the memory cards are wiped, too. Hard drives and cell phones that are faulty or broken, along with any removable media (e.g., tapes, diskettes, CDs, DVDs) are physically destroyed.
Can I get a certificate of data destruction for the items I drop off at the recycling drive?
Certificates of destruction require a thorough documentation and processing of equipment, which is not possible to provide during this type of community drop-off event. Contact RenTek directly to learn about its process and fees for certificates of destruction.
What does my donation for autism programs support?
RenTek does not charge a fee to recycle most of the electronics collected at community events. Any donations made at a recycling drive support RenTek’s job-skills training program for people with developmental disabilities, including training materials, instruction, and essential tools like screwdrivers, drills, hammers, gloves, and goggles.
Why is there a $2 charge for desktop printers?
Many parts of electronic waste can be recycled, such as metal and certain types of glass and plastic. RenTek’s recycling fees help cover the disposal charges for parts that cannot be recycled, such as hazardous tubes from old televisions and computer monitors, non-recyclable plastic (which makes up the bulk of desktop printers, scanners, and faxes), and even the glass from CRT monitors.
What happens to reusable equipment?
Computers, laptops, and monitors that meet refurbishment standards are reconditioned by RenTek and sold to support its job-skills training programs. All other equipment, working or nonworking, is dismantled and properly recycled.