County e-waste pick up

THOMPSON FALLS – Trucks were loaded with recyclable e-waste last week as the county took part in an effort to repurpose the used items.

The county wide e-waste event took place on both Friday, May 29 and Saturday, May 30.

The recycling ran from 1 to 6 p.m. on Friday and was held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday at the Thompson Falls Transfer Site on Airport Road, east of Thompson Falls.

The two-day event was a combination of efforts by Sanders County, Collective Recyclers of Laurel and the Montana Department of Environmental Quality.

Dusti Johnson, a recycling specialist with MDEQ was on hand for the two-day event as a variety of used electronic items were gathered for future repurposing.

“We can definitely repurpose and reuse these items. Both plastics and metal can go into making something else,” Johnson said.

The event gathered a number of items from residents throughout the community as toasters, microwaves, computers and cell phones were gathered into the back of a semi-trailer being used to transport the e-waste.

At the conclusion of the e-waste event the trailer will transfer the collective items to ECS Refining, a center in Stockton, Calif., where the e-waste will be recycled and repurposed.

Johnson, who travels to recycling events throughout the state, noted one of the most common items gathered at e-waste events are old television sets.

“We have received a lot of televisions, about 50 percent of the items brought in are TVs,” Johnson said.

Johnson noted the importance of recycling events to rural communities, helping to take stress off of local waste sites, while providing recycling services free of cost.

She added she was hopeful the event could continue to assist Sanders County in years to come.

“We have done this for a couple of years now and it is something we would like to do more permanently,” Johnson said.