I Recycle Phoenix Mega-Event
Sep 30, 2015 07:46PM ● By By Martin Miron
Keep Phoenix Beautiful will hold a one-stop recycling festival from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., October 17, at Desert Ridge Marketplace.
Acceptable items include most electronics, cell phones, hard drives (will be shredded), telephone books, laptop and desktop computers, writing utensils, plastic bags, inkjet cartridges, rechargeable batteries, clothing, household goods and more. Nonperishable food donations are also welcome.
On-site document shredding (up to five boxes) will take place from 8 to 11 a.m. or until the truck is full. Documents will also be collected to be shredded offsite. Due to the amount of lead in older tube-type monitors and televisions, there is a charge of $15 for recycling them. Hazardous waste, such as paint, tires, chemicals etc., cannot be accepted.
“Several years ago we noticed shredding events in one place, electronic events in other, and clothing, batteries, food and other items at different places around the Valley. We came up with the idea of a ‘Recyclepolooza’ of sorts where it is a one stop drop off event,” says Tom Waldeck, President and CEO of Keep Phoenix Beautiful.
“We provide the volunteers to do the heavy lifting so you don’t even have to get out of the car. With our wonderful recycling partners as well as the city of Phoenix Public Works and Desert Ridge Marketplace providing us space, we have kept hundreds of tons of materials out of the landfills.”
The event also helps reduce contamination of the recycling stream. The city of Phoenix has a high rate of contamination, meaning people are putting non-recyclables in their recycling containers. One common practice is putting recyclables in plastic bags and trying to recycle the plastic bags along with the recyclables. In addition, people are throwing other non-recyclable items such as diapers and yard waste into their recycling containers.
Multiple partner organizations will be onsite to accept donations that cannot go in the curbside recycling bins. Treasures for Teachers, for example, recycles a huge a number of items from the festival to serve as school supplies; see the complete list at Tinyurl.com/TreasuresForTeachers. Most donated items either get recycled or reused.
This is a one-stop recycling festival, so it's convenient for consumers to recycle so many different options while keeping odd items out of the blue bins.
Participation is free and there are no residency requirements; all are welcome. Location: 21001 N. Tatum Blvd., behind AMC Theaters, Phoenix. For more information, visit RecycleCleanPhoenix.org.
