Officials hope the 2nd e-cycling day is successful

While most people go to the mall to load their cars with electronics, Tuscaloosa residents can go to the mall today to unload them.

The Chamber of Commerce of West Alabama, along with the cities of Tuscaloosa and Northport, are holding their second public e-cycling day from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. today in the University Mall back parking lot, directly behind Belk department store.

People are invited to dispose of computers, TVs, printers, ink cartridges, cell phones, typewriters and various other electronics they don't need. Businesses were invited to bring their discarded electronics on Wednesday.

Officials said Americans dispose of more than 2 million tons of electrical appliances each year, and much of it is discarded by tossing appliances in the trash, which has harmful effects on the environment. Many of the day-to-day electrical items people use include substances such as mercury, lead and polyvinyl chloride that should be kept out of landfills.

Donny Jones, executive vice president of the chamber of commerce, said Tuscaloosa and Northport residents will benefit from the joint project.

'It's a good partnership; it shows great things can happen,' Jones said. 'The beauty of this is 150-200 tons of electronic waste will be taken out of the community.'

In addition to helping the environment, Jones said the e- cycling effort would also benefit low-income families, because some of the computers can be refurbished for future use.

'It's a great way to help the environment and someone with a need at the same time,' Jones said.

Stacy Pugh, associate director for Tuscaloosa's Environmental Services Department, said the first e-cycling drive held in January netted 170,000 pounds of electronics. She said the money earned from recycling ink jet cartridges and cell phones will go to benefit Tuscaloosa's pre-K initiative.

'This is a better move for the environment,' she said.

Residents who can't make it to the mall today can bring discarded computers to the Environmental Services Department, which will accept computers throughout the year, Pugh said.

Shane Daugherty, director of the Environmental Services Department, said the goal of the effort is to get people involved in protecting their environment. Although electronics are a common staple in the American household, people are not aware of the toxic waste they harbor.

'There are four pounds of lead on average in TVs and old computers,' Daugherty said.

Because of such environmental hazards, he said he is most proud of the environmental impact the drive will have on the local community.

George Bishop, an Environmental Services Department employee said: 'It's great to get things out of the closet, out of the storage house. The best way to get rid of it is recycle.'