EL Residents Recycle Over 40,000 Pounds of Materials at Recycle! East Lansing

Volunteers at the 2018 Recycle! East Lansing event/photo credit Cathy DeShambo.

Over 300 East Lansing residents kicked off their spring cleaning June 2^nd at Recycle! East Lansing, the city’s 24th annual recycling event for those not-so-easy-to-recycle items and household goods.

The mostly free, one-day recycling event held at the Abbot Center collected 17,206 pounds of electronics, 16,000 pounds of scrap metal, 4,000 pounds of clothing, 3,000 pounds of books, 782 pounds of Styrofoam and 50 bicycles along with many other items including tires, appliances, medications and traditional items accepted in curbside recycling carts.

With funding and assistance from Friends of the East Lansing Prime Time Seniors Program of the Hannah Center, Recycle! East Lansing also offered senior and disabled residents a chance to participate in the event. Volunteers, including East Lansing’s Mayor Mark Meadows and Mayor Pro Tem Erik Altmann, arranged to pick up recyclables from 70 households that would not otherwise have been able to participate.

“Recycle! East Lansing would not be what it is today without our dedicated volunteers,” stated Cathy DeShambo, East Lansing’s Environmental Services Administrator and organizer of the event. There were over 80 volunteers assisting this year directing traffic, unloading vehicles, moving material, and answering recycling questions. “Many of our volunteers come back year after year, some have even been with us for over ten years, but we could always use more,” said DeShambo.

17,206 pounds of electronics were recycled at the event/photo credit: Cathy DeShambo

While there was a $20 fee for televisions and computer monitors due to the rising costs of electronics recycling, Lansing Board of Water and Light (BWL) participated in the event again this year and offered $50 rebates for freezers and refrigerators, and $25 rebates for air conditioners and dehumidifiers. Of the rebates issued to residents, $475 was donated directly back to the event according to DeShambo. BWL estimated the dehumidifiers and air conditioners turned in at the event will save 8500 kilowatt hours of energy.

“Recycle! East Lansing is thankful for our numerous sponsors and donations that really helped make the event successful and low cost for everyone” DeShambo said. Sponsors for the 2018 Recycle! East Lansing include Kroger, Responsible Hospitality Council, HopCat East Lansing, Lansing BWL, Michigan Energy Options, and Reno’s East.

A listing of household items and where to recycle them can be found on the East Lansing recycling website along with a guide to what should and should not go into the curbside recycling carts. To learn more about Recycle! East Lansing or to volunteer next year, contact Cathy DeShambo at cdesham@cityofeastlansing.com or 517-319-6936.