e-waste recycling at St. Francis Parish

St. Francis Recycles over 11,000 Pounds of Electronics!

Our parish had an opportunity in June to recycle old electronics, including unsold “leftovers” from the Rummage Sale.   Our efforts were a huge success!  St. Francis parishioners recycled a total of 11,564 pounds of electronics:

·         4,416 pounds of servers

·         3,386 pounds of miscellaneous electronics

·         1,320 pounds of personal computers (desktop)

·         1,120 pounds of printers / copiers

·         920 pounds of CRT monitors/TVs

·         194 pounds of LCD monitors/TVs

·         120 pounds of laptops

It’s important to recycle our old electronics instead of just throwing them away.  Our gadgets contain hazardous materials such as lead, mercury, and cadmium—and electronic waste accounts for about 70% of the toxic waste in our landfills.  Recycling keeps these hazardous materials out of our soil and our water supply.  Recycling is therefore a powerful way to care for God’s creation.

Reusing materials also reduces the demand for newly mined minerals, much of which is produced in war-torn countries and often by child slaves.  In Eastern Congo, for example, armed groups who regularly commit mass rapes and murders earn hundreds of millions of dollars a year by trading primarily four minerals:  the ores that produce tin, tantalum, tungsten, and gold.  The majority of these minerals end up in devices like cell phones, portable music players, and computers.  Recycling is therefore one way to help reduce human suffering.

Honoring our Catholic commitment to social justice, GreenTech Recyclers guarantees that 100% of the e-waste will never enter a landfill, and also that it will not be sent to developing countries or to prisons for processing.

GreenTech also collects e-waste from businesses for recycling.  If your company is interested, visit their website at:  http://greentechrecyclers.com.