Cook Medical has partnered with Recycle Force and Big Boys Moving to host an electronics recycling event on June 26 from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. at their Profile Park facility located at 500 N. Profile Pkwy.
Recycle Force is an e-waste organization based out of Indianapolis and Big Boys Moving is a local moving company in Bloomington. Both companies assist formerly incarcerated individuals reentering the workforce.
Almost all electronics can be recycled at the event, including large appliances such as washers,dryers, Televisions and refrigerators, Hannah Chudleigh, external communications generalist at Cook, said.
Cook Medical’s goal is to recycle 210,000 pounds of electronics at the event, according to its Facebook page.
The event was not able to take place in 2020 due to the pandemic, but in 2019 around 209,000 pounds of e-waste were recycled, Chudleigh said.
Our organization is able to make the environment cleaner and create a stronger workforce, Recycle Force President Gregg Keesling said.
“This electronics recycling effort, as well as our partnerships with Recycle Force and Big Boys Moving are part of our promise to invest in the communities and environments we serve,” Chudleigh said.
Indiana state law prohibits households from throwing away unwanted electronics. The cost of recycling these items is placed on consumers.
One of the draws for the event will the the fact that the public won’t have any costc to dispose of their unwanted electronics, Keesling said.
When electronics are not disposed of correctly, the chemicals inside them can leak into the soil and water supply causing a risk to the environment and public health, according to the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.
“It will help recycle material that would otherwise go into the landfill. Secondly it helps our partner organizations employ individuals who are reentering the workforce,” Vice President of Government Affairs at Cook Gretchen Gutman said.
