Broken computers can also be recycled

By Dustin Porter
Electronic News Editor
Nov. 12, 2009

Paper, Plastic and Metal: the big bold words printed on all the large blue recycling containers distributed across campus inform students what and what not, to place inside the container. Waste items should only consist of paper, plastic or metal.

The man in charge of the recycling program at UNCP, Director of Facility Operations Larry Freeman, received a phone call from Wagram Paper Stock informing him of a problem with the recycling program.

“They wouldn’t tell me what the item was. Just that it was a toiletry product,” Freeman said as he tried to pinpoint the cause of the problem.

Freeman does not know where the problem came from, but he did issue an e-mail notifying the students that this type of behavior is not acceptable and will not be tolerated.

Evidently, the e-mail solved the problem because during the two pick-ups following the incident, the Wagram Paper Stock company has not called to complain about “messy toiletries.”

“If anybody wants to volunteer to sort out the trash for anything that’s not supposed to be there every Wednesday morning, I’ll sure be pleased,” Freeman joked, but if somebody this dedicated does exist please feel free to contact him.

Since the University started the recycling program back in February, this has been the only complaint, and Freeman hopes it’s the last one for a while.

The program, despite this little mishap, continues to grow as the number of large 75-gallon containers have increased to 93. The 65-gallon containers have increased to 12.

“They’re mostly for outdoor activities, but some areas requested them,” Freeman said, explaining the reasons for increasing the number of containers on campus.

For safety purposes, Freeman said, a recycling program for computer hardware exists.

Students on campus may be wondering what to do with their old or broken computer hardware. The Waste Management building located behind Village Apartments gladly accepts any monitor, CPU, keyboard or anything that has something to do with a computer other than software or programs.

The Waste Management Company then delivers the computer hardware to a surplus warehouse where it will be examined to test whether or not the hardware can be sold.

People then purchase the salvaged pieces of hardware, and Apple Inc. picks up the broken ones in a program called “Apple Free Education.”

The education-based program helps from kindergarten and up, and Apple only helps those who earn their permission on a sign-up basis. Apple pays 40 cents a pound for the broken hardware and then issues a certificate of destruction.

Other programs do exist but charge UNCP to pick up the hardware. Apple does it free of charge and pays the University for the salvage.

The last trip, UNCP piled up eight pallets of broken hardware totaling 15,000 pounds and earned a $6,000 check from Apple.

Freeman said anybody who wants to throw away their computer equipment can deliver it to the Waste Management building to help the environment and the campus at the same time.