Volunteer coordinator Susan Schmidt , who has been involved with Recycle! East Lansing for 18 years, said it can be challenging to find out how many households participate since residents often make multiple trips, but estimated that about 300 to 500 cars came through last year.
“I remember when it first started, it was much smaller, and had limited choices of what you could recycle,” Schmidt said. “We’ve expanded every year to include something new.”
This year, she said, the event will feature on-site shredding services. Volunteers unload cars with everything from metals, old furniture, bicycles, computers and cardboard, Schmidt said.
“Basically their job is to make it so that the residents who drive through don’t have to do much at all — they can even stay in their car,” she explained.
She said there also is a group of volunteers who take four trucks out early in the morning to collect recycling from senior citizens’ homes if they call ahead for pickup. The East Lansing Prime Time Seniors Program pays for this service, so there is no charge for the seniors.
The event was postponed until the end of May, which allowed people to clean out and organize their garages and houses over Memorial Day weekend, Schmidt said. She said while most students are already gone, local landlords can still utilize the event if necessary.
“Landfills have a life, and I think as much as we can reuse and recycle extends the life of a landfill,” Schmidt said.
Patrick Patterson , executive vice president with Volunteers of America Michigan, estimated Volunteers of America typically receives about three truckloads of donations from Recycle! East Lansing each year.
“We focus on stuff that’s reusable,” he said. “Stuff in good condition that has another life to it yet.”
Patterson said most of what they accept is clothing, shoes and furniture, which they provide to people and families in need. “It’s basic human stuff we take for granted,” he said.
Recycle! East Lansing will take place from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Abbott Center at 1400-1500 Abbot Rd. , and all East Lansing community members with proof of residency can participate.
