Hawaii News Now - KGMB and KHNL HomeRecycling to keep landfills from filling up

Recycling to keep landfills from filling up

By Duane Shimogawa - bio | email

MANOA (KHNL) - Most say recycling is the best way to alleviate our over-filled landfills. The biggest statewide E-waste collection drive wrapped up Saturday.

As of last count, organizers say they filled more than 50 Matson containers or just over a million pounds of waste with cell phones and other electronics.

Daniel Muranaka and his wife couldn't wait for Saturday.

"It was kind of sitting in our house, we always miss these things and today (Saturday) we're like we better get rid of them for once," he said.

Many others also took advantage of a rare chance to get rid of old electronics at no cost. A state law that goes into effect the first of next year, bans E-waste in landfills.

"It will be illegal to dump anything electronic into the landfills, so this is their opportunity for free recycling," E-waste collection coordinator Larry Wiss said.

It's a simple process that keeps items like cell phones out of our already overused landfill.

"It's probably more efficient to get rid of it in this manner than just throwing it out in the trash," Muranaka said.

The statewide event is fully funded by Apple. from Hawaii, the containers are loaded and shipped out of state.

"The containers go to the mainland to recycling companies that Apple works with and they recycle everything, the glass, the plastic, the metals, the aluminum, it's all taken care of," Wiss said.

The Muranaka's are glad to do their part to help out their surroundings.

"You don't know what's in it, so you don't want it to go into the environment," Muranaka said.

The event not only happened in Manoa. Every UH branch campus held E-waste collections as well.