The event, which was held on Sept. 25, was the second of two electronics recycling collections that were held this year. The events are coordinated by the Greene County Commissioners and state Rep. Pam Snyder, who work with JVS Environmental of Friedens, Pa., the company responsible for the stacking, loading and removing of all collected items.
The recent event – which was the 14th one held in the county since 2016 – was the most successful one held so far, as a record-breaking 291 vehicles came through the barn for the purpose of safely discarding old and/or broken electronic items.
It was estimated that JVS Environmental collected approximately 26 tons of electronic devices such as computers, televisions, stereos and DVD players, as well as a high number of florescent light bulbs and appliances during this event.
Greene County Commissioner Blair Zimmerman said he and his fellow Commissioners are pleased that the collections are successful and that the Sept. 25 event was the best one yet.
“We are happy to be involved in coordinating these recycling collection events with Rep. Snyder, and we were more than pleased to see the large turnout for our most recent event,” he said.
Commissioner Dave Coder said the Commissioners “appreciate all of the hard work put forth by the JVS Environmental workers, Representative Snyder’s office, county employees and other volunteers in making this the most successful recycling event yet.”
Commissioner Archie Trader said there are many factors that contribute to the event’s success.
“A lot of valuable, moving pieces help make these events possible,” he said. “There are many departments and individuals who work very hard to make these events run so smoothly.”
Mimi Ritenour, recycling coordinator for the county, strongly agreed with that sentiment. She commended the Commissioners, Rep. Snyder’s staff, the county fairgrounds and JVS Environmental crews, the Sheriff’s department and media outlets and agencies that helped the promote the event.
“I simply cannot thank them all enough for their parts in this very successful event,” she said. “It truly is the very definition of the term ‘Team Effort.’”
Ritenour said the residents who dropped off items were “very nice” and cooperative, and they expressed appreciation for the event being held.
She especially thanked JVS Environmental for unloading, stacking, bundling and hauling away the items.
“They did an outstanding job and worked long past the end of the event to load everything,” she said. “They unloaded three to four vehicles at once with the greatest of ease … even with the record-breaking number of vehicles, they kept the traffic flowing. Their efforts were greatly appreciated.”
The numbers pertaining to the 14 collections held so far are quite impressive; Ritenour said the events have collected more than 325 tons of electronics, well over 2,100 CFL bulbs and a staggering number of appliances, many of which contained freon.
For more information about the Electronics Recycling events in Greene County, call Ritenour at 724-852-5300.