Last month’s Covington Recycles and Book Donation event at computer refurbisher Blair Tech’s Tech Castle location in Latonia welcomed more than 150 cars and collected an estimated 4,500 pounds of e-waste – everything from laptops, desktops, televisions, cell phones, tablets, printers, cables, and more.
“We were blown away by the community’s response to this event,” said Blair Tech’s marketing director Laura Blair. “This is proof that Covington residents care deeply about sustainability when given the opportunity to act.”
And that ‘opportunity’ for mindful disposal of electronics has expanded, with the event kicking off a partnership that gives Covington residents a year-round recycling opportunity.
“Making it easy and convenient to drop off old devices not only keeps harmful materials out of our landfills, but also gives us the chance to reuse and renew tech in ways that directly benefit others,” said Blair. “It’s about creating a sustainable cycle, and we’re proud to be part of a city that supports that mission.”
Event partners included the City of Covington, Keep Covington Beautiful, The Center for Great Neighborhoods, and Tech Castle.
“We loved seeing people make the environmentally conscious decision to bring their electronics to the Tech Castle to be reused or properly disposed of,” said Aaron Sparks, Covington Coordinator for Public Works, Solid Waste and Recycling. “Diverting over two tons of material from the landfill for further use means a difference was made.”
Blair said the real work starts now. With Tech Castle’s mission to ‘recycle with purpose,’ the parts and pieces that were collected at the event can become a renewed laptop for a struggling college student, a desktop for a small business just starting out, or new computers for a classroom in need.
In partnership with Read Ready Covington, the event also collected boxes of gently used books to help fill Little Free Libraries across the city, including a new one at Tech Castle.
City of Covington