By Joshua Robison / The Jambar
Oak Hill Collaborative held its e-waste collection drive at the organization’s main branch on Oak Hill Avenue in Youngstown.
The collection drive was free to all from 11 a.m-3 p.m March 14. The nonprofit held the drive for those who had any unwanted or broken technology that needed recycling.
This was Oak Hill’s second collection drive following a November collection where the nonprofit collected 4,238 pounds in six gaylord pallets. During the March drive, 10 gaylord pallets were collected with an estimated weight of 6-7,000 pounds.
The organization accepted items such as laptops, PCs, DVD players, MP3 players, video game consoles, routers, hard drives, keyboards, wires, scanners, LCD monitors, servers and cameras.
However, items that could not be accepted included printers, televisions, CRT Monitors, home medical equipment and kitchen appliances, as they may contain harmful chemicals or elements.
After the collection process, Oak Hill’s partner GreenBoard IT was responsible for the recycling and wiping of all devices.
At 2 p.m. the same day, Oak Hill offered a free and public course on e-waste that educated participants how technology is recycled and how refurbished technology impacts the environment.
Donors who took the online course and finished it qualified to receive a laptop from Oak Hill after completing all eight courses.
Patrick Kerrigan, executive director of Oak Hill Collaborative, stated that the efforts of Oak Hill and their partnership with licensed recyclers are important to all Mahoning Valley residents relating to computers and the internet.
“Our goal simply is to help dispose of dangerous materials in the interest of public safety,” Kerrigan stated.
Kerrigan expressed his gratitude to the organizations digital navigators that are responsible for teaching classes, distributing laptops and providing one-on-one assistance when needed.
Elizabeth Coss, senior journalism major at Youngstown State University, acted as the communication director for the collection drive. Coss gave insight as to why Oak Hill’s efforts benefit the community.
“This kind of event is so important. It can be heartbreaking driving through the community and seeing discarded items on the side of the road. Through events like this, we’re providing an opportunity for community members to safely dispose of devices that may have dangerous chemicals or elements in them.”
Coss said the community was thoroughly involved with the collection drive as she reported that technology was collected from 122 different zip codes from over 150 participants.
For more information on upcoming events or ways to help, contact its main office at 330-406-0731 or visit oakhillcollaborative.org.
Editor’s note: Elizabeth Coss is a former Jambar employee and had no editorial input on this article.