It's Blog Action Day and it came at just the right time.

This weekend we helped with the Ygnacio Valley High School Electronic Waste / Recycle Event and I am happy to report it was a success! 

I saw many of my local real estate agents. 

In case you missed it - the parking lot at the high school was turned into a giant drive through recycling center for all items that shouldn't go to the landfill.

The event was a fundraiser for the YVHS Music Department.  As you might guess, the Music Programs have all had serious funding issues lately with little chance of a brighter future.  Since the Feds and State are cutting back - fund raisers like this will become more critical in the near future to the continuation of the entire music department.

 While the heavy lifting and sorting was left to the professionals, the kids were allowed to explain the program, accept donations and talk with the public.

Here's a couple of interesting factoids:

If you were to drop off a TV or CPU at the local landfill, they would charge you $25 to $40 per item.  The dump cannot treat these items like normal rubbish - they must collect and turn it over to a proper e-waste recycling company.  That company crushes the items - then sorts and separates out the raw heavy metals.

Everything is crushed - nothing is reused.  To the horror of the kids - if someone were to drop off a brand new in the box iPod - it would be crushed!  No questions asked. 

This is part security, part business.  If I was to drop off a CPU I wouldn't want to see that Hard Drive reanimated into a newly refurbished computer with all my important private information on it. 

All in all the E-Waste recycling event was a smashing success! 

We thank you for coming. 

We thank you for helping the environment and we thank you for your donations!