The Indianapolis Office of Sustainability and the Indianapolis Department of Public Works will host a post-holiday electronics recycling event tomorrow, Saturday, January 22 at Garfield Park (2345 Pagoda Drive). Many Marion County residents may have upgraded electronics over the holidays or while working from home, so attendees are encouraged to drop off unused, outdated, and/or broken electronics so that they may be properly recycled.
On-site staff will direct traffic at the event, which will start at 9 a.m. and run until 2 p.m. Attendees should use the Garfield Park entrance off of E Southern Avenue, turn left to follow Pagoda Drive, and then follow directions to turn right into the Burrello Family Center parking lot for drop-off. Motorists should remain in their cars and wear a face covering when interacting with staff members.
Officials expect to recycle thousands of pounds of electronics, keeping the waste from otherwise ending up in the landfill. Last year’s event diverted nearly 60,000 pounds of electronic waste from landfills and more than 600 residents attended.
Officers from Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) Southeast District will be on hand to facilitate a prescription take-back service for attendees who may also wish to responsibly dispose of any unused or expired prescription medicines. Medications must be presented in a sealed container or sealed plastic bag at the time of collection.
“We encourage residents across Marion County to participate in another year of post-holiday electronics recycling as they clean and re-organize after the holidays,” said Mayor Joe Hogsett. “Together, we can divert electronic waste from our landfills and safely dispose of hazardous medications, while continuing to offer impactful re-entry employment opportunities.”
The City is partnering with local nonprofit RecycleForce for electronics recycling. RecycleForce reduces crime through re-entry employment and job training opportunities while improving the environment through electronics recycling.
A list of which types of electronics can be found on the Facebook event page, but as a general rule of thumb, acceptable electronics include anything with a cord attached as well as phones, laptops, and tablets. Hazardous materials will not be accepted during this event on January 22.
Garfield Park is also one of eight Indy Parks locations included in the Indy Department of Public Works‘ ongoing Christmas Tree Recycling program, allowing residents to drop off real trees until the end of January. The Christmas tree drop-off point in Garfield Park is near the Southern Avenue entrance, in front of MacAllister Amphitheater. Trees must be free of ornaments, tinsel, tree stands, and all other decorative materials. The live tree recycling program is solely for Marion County residents.