MxCC SAVES LANDFILLS FROM COMPUTERS AND ELECTRONICS

Wondering what to do with that old Pong video game console, bulky fax machine, unwanted desktop computer, or Walkman radio that may be cluttering your basement or family room? Middlesex Community College has a free solution on how to dispose of these relics of the past – without dumping them into landfills. Simply bring them to campus on April 25 from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. during MxCC’s annual “e-cycling” event.

Hosted by the College’s Computer Club, MxCC students and Vinal Technical High School IST students will collect a wide variety of electronics and computers (except televisions) at the lower parking lot at 100 Training Hill Road in Middletown.  At the end of the day, all items will be picked up by Green Monster e-Cycling of West Hartford, and fully recycled for parts and re-harvesting of precious metals (for computers, the company first destroys all data stored on hard drives). 

“We hold this recycling event as part of MxCC’s Earth Week celebration, giving people a free, easy alternative to dumping electronics into landfills,” said Donna Hylton, MxCC professor of Information Systems, and Computer Club advisor.  “According to the EPA, Americans toss out about two million tons of unwanted electronics annually.  This event is one way to curb that waste – and support the growing recycling industry in our state.”

Green Monster e-Cycling (www.greenmonsterecycling.com) has a strict zero-landfill policy, meaning all items it collects are broken down into basic components and passed on to refineries and smelters where precious metals are harvested.  By-products of all electronic components are eventually added to items such as concrete, fence posts, or glass. Green Monster partners only with EPA-compliant leaders in the downstream recycling industry that have been audited. 

During the e-cycling event, MxCC’s Computer Club students will be collecting voluntary donations for its annual “computer giveaway contest.”  As part of this program, students custom build a computer that is donated to a fellow MxCC student in need.

Founded in 1966, Middlesex Community College (www.mxcc.edu) is part of the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities System. In all it does, Middlesex Community College strives to be the college of its community. By providing high quality, affordable, and accessible education to a diverse population, the college enhances the strengths of individuals through degree, certificate, and lifelong learning programs that lead to university transfer, employment, and an enriched awareness of our shared responsibilities as global citizens. MxCC, recently named a "Great College to Work For" by The Chronicle of Higher Education, offers more than 50 degree or certificate programs at the main 38-acre campus in Middletown, the downtown Meriden Center, and online.