If you don't know what to do with that old computer or television sitting in the garage, there were about 500 people Saturday at Reid Park ready to give you a good answer.
Recycle it.
Tucsonans converged on the park all morning to drop off their old electronics, pass out recycling tips, spruce up recycling drums, plant trees, and otherwise make the city a little more clean and beautiful.
The event was one of many projects taking place across Tucson and the nation as part of USA Weekend magazine's annual Make a Difference Day.
The electronics collection was as much about spreading awareness as it was about getting rid of old televisions, said Joan Lionetti, executive director of Tucson Clean and Beautiful, a nonprofit environmental group and one of the local event's sponsors.
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"We want to make sure that people are aware that they can recycle their electronics. We don't want this stuff going into landfills," she said.
As it turns out, there is a lot of use left in your old computer. Nearly 99 percent is recyclable, said Barbara Ricca, an environmental engineer for IBM.
A typical 60-pound desktop computer contains about 8.5 pounds of aluminum, four pounds of copper, 14 pounds of plastic, and many other reusable materials, Ricca said.
However, most people just don't know what to do with them.
"Nearly two-thirds of computers ever sold are in storage awaiting disposal … just sitting in people's closets," she said.
Kathy Sawyer, who had a booth at the event, promoted her own green business, Cartridge World, that refills and reuses inkjet and laser printer cartridges.
It takes nearly 450 years for an inkjet cartridge to decompose in a landfill. Eighty percent are thrown out after only one use, she said.
"Our motto is think refill, not landfill," she said.
While volunteers collected used electronics in a parking lot, families painted 300 recycling drums in the Reid Park Soccer field, which was covered in a rainbow of the 30-gallon containers. Recycling never looked so good.
Angie Edwards was painting a drum with her husband and two of her children. She said that she wanted the kids to know that community service could be more than just picking up trash.
"We thought it would be fun to get the kids involved and better than just sitting around and playing video games," she said.
Chloe Edwards, 10, was particularly proud of her drum.
"It's cool. I first painted it green with white stripes, then I added black stripes. It looks good," she said.
Volunteers also planted 100 trees in six Tucson city parks, including 25 in Reid Park.
Other Make a Difference Day events in Tucson included Hope Fest, a daylong event at Tucson Electric Park offering free services such as dental care and medical screenings to the less fortunate. About 45 local nonprofit and social service agencies participated in the event.
recycle info
For more information about recycling call the Tucson/Pima County Recycling Information Line at 791-5000.
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