The Sayre Redskin Club wants to take outdated and broken electronics and appliances off the hands of area residents next Saturday.
The athletic booster club will receive two cents for every pound of electronic waste it collects at its second annual e-waste recycling fundraiser, said Erin Wayman, who has helped to organize the event. Club members will collect donations from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, April 21 at Sayre High School's Brock Street parking lot.
Last year's inaugural recycling event was a success, Wayman said, with over 49,000 pounds of material collected to raise about $1,300 for the Redskin Club.
The most highly sought-after items, Wayman said, include monitors, desktop and laptop computers, televisions, keyboards, mice and printers. However, the club will accept "basically anything that has a plug," she said, including speakers, computer accessories, copiers, fax machines, cell phones, gaming devices, hard drives, small appliances, VCRs and DVD players. Donations from businesses will also be accepted.
The only items that cannot be taken, Wayman said, are items that use freon and other hazardous chemicals. These include air conditioners, refrigerators, dehumidifiers, batteries, light bulbs and thermostats.
The Sayre Area School District's House-Husick Archives Room will also be open from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. that day to coincide with the fundraiser, said board of education member Ron Cole. The public is welcome to browse the archives and donate any items they may have, Cole said.
Those viewing the archives are asked to use the high school's Hopkins Street entrance, adjacent to the cafeteria, and follow the signs to the archive room.
The fundraiser is run in conjunction with Eco International, a Vestal, N.Y.-based recycling company. Where possible, electronics are reused and remarketed, according to information from the company. Parts from older and damaged electronics will be reused where possible, with the rest disposed of it an environmentally responsible manner.
Hard drives to be reused are wiped and overwritten three times, according to information from Eco International; for computers to be recycled, hard drives are physically destroyed. Both processes keep personal data protected.
The money collected from the fundraiser will help the Redskin Club with its functions, including support of the district's athletic programs. The club also takes on other projects indirectly related to athletics, Wayman said, including assisting athletes in need and helping students with sports-related senior projects.
The Redskin Club also raises money through the sale of concessions and Redskin-themed merchandise, but is hoping to meet its fundraising goals through next week's recycling drive in lieu of a door-to-door fund drive, Wayman said.
The event, which is being held on Earth Day weekend, will allow area residents to support the Redskins at no cost, get rid of household clutter and benefit the planet.
"It's an all-around win-win for everyone," Wayman said.
Amanda Renko can be reached at (570) 888-9652; or email: arenko@thedailyreview.com.