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The Mon-Yough River Valley Rotary Club hosted a highly successful free electronics recycling event Saturday (April 11) at the Herman Mihalich Boat Launch in Monessen.

A steady stream of local residents lined up at the site to drop off a variety of items ranging from old televisions and computers to microwaves and printers.

Rotarians Bob Pope, Bernie Bandini and Greg Bednar load a television into Dumpster at recycling event

Rotarian Greg Bednar helps visitors to recycling event unload electronic items from their truck

Bob Pope carries a flat-screen television to the Dumpster

Bernie Bandini handles printers and other items dropped off at the recycling event

Bernie Bandini closes the door on the Dumpster at the end of the recycling event

“Just about everyone who dropped off items asked us when we would be doing this again,” said club member Bop Pope, who organized the event. “After seeing such an amazing turnout and the overwhelming gratitude from the public, I can say that we will do it again.”

He urged local residents to follow the club’s Facebook page and the Mon Valley Independent for news about future recycling events.

The club received significant assistance from the nonprofit Westmoreland Cleanways and Recycling and the City of Monessen. A super-sized Dumpster was donated by ProWaste LLC of Belle Vernon.

“We knew there was a huge need for this type of event and we were gratified to hear from the public that they were so happy to be able to move these old and unusable items from their basements and attics,” club secretary Sue McFarland-Bandini said.

“Most importantly, we wanted to do all that we could to help the public comply with a state law limiting how residents can dispose of these items once they are no longer useful,” she added.

In 2010, the Pennsylvania Legislature passed a law stating that devices with screens larger than 5 inches and items attached to computers, such as keyboards or printers, were banned from landfills. The impetus for the bill was that many of these devices contained toxic materials and metals harmful to the environment and the health of those who came in contact with them. The law stated that consumers had to be able to safely recycle these items free of charge.

The law also mandated that the devices had to be recycled domestically to avoid a situation that occurred in the earliest days of recycling when some companies exported the items to other countries where the dangerous components created health and environmental issues.

Westmoreland Cleanways partners with a company that handles recyclables in accordance with the state law.

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