By Johnna Pinholster
VALDOSTA — Electronics no longer being used can find a new home on Saturday.
They will not be landing at the local landfills but rather taken and recycled for future use.
Between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. at Mathis City Auditorium, the City of Valdosta, in partnership with Keep Lowndes/Valdosta Beautiful, will be collecting electronics to be recycled.
The city started the recycling venture in 2006 and now hosts the event twice a year, said John Whitehead, deputy city manager of operations.
To date the city has collected 83.52 tons of electronics.
Though the time for the event is scheduled to end at 1 p.m., if there are people still in line their electronics will be collected, Whitehead said.
All residents have to do is drive up and let the volunteers unload the materials, he said.
“They don’t even need to get out of the car,” Whitehead said.
Items that will be collected include televisions, computers, modems, keyboards, floppy disks, stereos, circuit boards, printers, faxes, telephones and cell phones.
They will not be accepting washers, dryers, refrigerators, toaster ovens, car batteries or microwaves.
The electronics are processed by Atlanta Recycling Solutions, which takes the materials and sends them out to be broken down and recycled.
Everything is free to dispose of with the exception of televisions, which will cost $10 to process, Whitehead said.
The fee is not one that generates money for the city but is actually a requirement from Atlanta Recycling Solutions.
“This is an opportunity for us to be environmentally conscious of our community,” Whitehead said.
Placing these items in the landfill opens up the possibility of further pollution. As electronic items breakdown, organic chemicals from within can leak into the ground and pollute ground water, he said.
People do not have to be a Valdosta resident to participate in the program, Whitehead said.
Those who want to volunteer only need to show up between 7 and 7:30 a.m. to help out.
The next electronic recycling event is scheduled for May 22, 2010. Whitehead urges those that do not dispose of their electronics on Saturday to keep them until the May date. If they cannot, the city may be able to help them out, but those issues are handled on a case by case basis.
Mathis City Auditorium is located at 2300 N. Ashley St.
