Last weekend for electronics recycling in the Mat-Su Borough

A cracked screen, outdated technology, or maybe just holding on to some forgotten piece of equipment. Whatever the reason, nearly everyone has some piece of electronics in their home that is taking up space in a drawer, garage, or has become a clothing hanger that needs to be properly disposed. But it can be costly and environmentally unfriendly. Fear not, there is a solution-the free electronics recycling event.

For the past month at transfer sites around the Mat-Su Borough, residents have had the opportunity to drop of those microwaves, VCRs, copiers, cables, and wires that have been accumulating dust to be properly sorted and shipped to be recycled.

“It started out as Backhaul Alaska going out to the villages and doing e-waste hauls off the road system. They got additional grant funding last year and started doing other communities,” explains Tamara Boeve, the Executive Director of Valley Recycling during the electronics recycling on August 4 at the Big Lake Transfer Station. She helps coordinate the different with the different rural recycling groups, while Backhaul Alaska coordinates to ensure that everything gets into the hands of responsible recyclers.

Once the last electronics recycling event is completed, everything will be shipped out of state, courtesy of Matson Shipping, and while some items will be shredded, Reilly Kosinski, Backhaul Alaska’s Statewide Coordinator, explains that the more ‘labor intensive’ items such as televisions and computers will go through a different process.

“Those will be broken down by hand to recover the circuit boards, and break everything down into a commodity form, where it can the go to more specialized recyclers.” He says that everything will be broken down from the plastics to the metals and wires because nearly all of it can be recycled.

“There’s definitely a market for pretty much everything.”

While most every form of electronics are accepted, there are a few exceptions. People are asked to not bring medical equipment, large appliances, smoke alarms, ballasts, or anything containing liquids.

The next location for the electronics recycling will be this weekend, August 11-12 at the Sutton Transfer Site, from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm.

The recycling event is sponsored by Backhaul Alaska, MatSu Borough Solid Waste, Valley Community Recycling Solutions, Caring for Alaska, and Matson Shipping.