The City of Knoxville is partnering with several organizations including the Optimist Club of West Knoxville, the Knoxville Volunteer Rescue Squad and Knox County Solid Waste to host a "Plug Into Your Community" eCycling event at Chilhowee Park on Jan. 12th.
It is a drive-through, drop-off and leave event, meaning residents won't even have to leave their vehicles to recycle old computers, laptops, cell phones, small appliances, and other electronic items.
The "Plug Into Your Community" event will be from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 12th, in the Midway Parking Lot at Chilhowee Park on North Beaman Street. The event will take place rain, snow or shine. More information about "Plug Into Your Community" is available through email from
[email protected]
This free electronic waste collection event gives residents a chance to properly dispose of electronic items that contain hazardous materials and keeps computer equipment from taking up space in landfills. Recycling electronics also allows for the salvage of materials that can be reused in the manufacture of new electronic products, which helps the environment by reducing the need for raw materials in the process.
Acceptable items include computer equipment like PC systems, CPUs, monitors, mice, keyboards, printers, scanners, laptops, modems, hard drives, speakers, power cords, cables, phones, power strips, desktop copiers, fax machines, and cell phones. These items may contain significant amounts of hazardous metals. Some switches and relays, for instance, may contain mercury, and printed circuit boards and monitors may contain metals like lead, chromium, cadmium and mercury.
Additional items accepted at the event this year are small household appliances such as radios, microwaves, stereos, vacuum cleaners, toner/ink cartridges, docking stations, CD-ROMs, small TVs, fax machines and other office electronics, rechargeable batteries, telephones and tape players.
Unacceptable items for this event include electronic equipment containing hazardous chemicals, small refrigerators, stoves, appliances, scrap metal, aluminum cans, cardboard and paper. Also prohibited are devices containing or emitting radioactivity, car batteries, mercury-containing devices, smoke alarms, light bulbs (fluorescent or incandescent), thermostats, thermometers, air-conditioners, fire extinguishers, gas-powered engines and bio-waste.
There is no charge to drop off your old computer and other related electronic devices, but donations will gladly be accepted and will benefit the Optimist Club of West Knoxville and the Volunteer Rescue Squad. Other sponsors of the event include WBIR TV, Best Buy, Creative Recycling, Knox County's Solid Waste Department and B97.5.
Residents participating will be eligible to enter to win a wide-screen TV from Best Buy.