Marin County’s initial foray into electronic waste collection this past weekend was a record-breaking success, organizers said.
Long lines of people in cars packed with old computers, televisions and other electronic devices overwhelmed county workers at the fairgrounds parking lot Saturday and Sunday at the E-Waste Weekend recycling program, the largest such event in the state, based on its record haul of junk.
Bulging boxes of old electronics collected for recycling quadrupled initial estimates of county officials planning the event.
“The event was a huge success,” said Jim Farley, the county’s director of cultural and visitor services, sponsor of the program in partnership with Fresno-based Electronic Recyclers, the state’s largest electronic-waste recycler.
Farley said an estimated 90 tons of obsolete electronics filled a dozen 30-foot-long truck trailers. That amount was Electronic Recyclers’ “all-time record” among 26 fairgrounds across the state over the past year, he said. Organizers originally requested three trailers for the two-day event.
The company’s previous record for statewide recycling events held on fairgrounds was the 67.5 tons collected among nine trailers in Santa Barbara.
Initial figures are based on the recycling firm’s estimates of 15,000 pounds of electronic waste per trailer, which equates to about 180,000 pounds of obsolete electronics gathered in Marin over the weekend.
“It was rock and roll all day long both days and it’s really a tribute to the residents of Marin County for their concern about the environment,” Farley said, noting about 1,200 people attended the two-day event.
“We’re elated that Marin residents responded so well,” he said.
“Marin so far has been the biggest,” said Tisha Cerioni, a recycling specialist with Electronic Recyclers, who coordinates the company’s partnership program with counties.
“It’s not our biggest event ever for the company, but it’s in the top three,” Cerioni said, noting an average two-day recycling event for the company uses two to three trailers.
“Four (trailers is great), 12 is phenomenal,” she said.
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