eRecycle Initiative Hits Impressive Milestone

The Office of Information Technology first held eRecycle Day at Adelphi in May of 2014. Now held biannually, this event enables the community to recycle their tech equipment for free, environmentally conscious recycling. 

After the most recent event on December 18, 2019, the University community officially recycled over 20,000 pounds of e-Waste. “It’s just another step in the right direction for Adelphi,” Director of IT Engagement Kerry Nicollet explained. “We are committed to sustainability. Our community has really embraced this event. We’d love to see even more participation, but there are quite a few people on campus who rely on it.” 

Bringing eRecycling to Adelphi

These events started when Nicollet and Jack Chen, chief information officer (CIO) at the time, came together to discuss how they could better serve the people at Adelphi. Nicollet recalls seeing similar initiatives in other places, but none were close enough to conveniently benefit our Panthers. The question soon became: “Why don’t we open up that service to our community here?”

The pair then teamed up with Carol Ann Boyle, current CIO, and deputy CIO at the time, and Frank Milia from the IT Asset Management Group (ITAMG) to figure out how we can bring eRecycling to the community at Adelphi.

The ITAMG and Adelphi had a long-standing relationship prior to working together for eRecycle Day, having worked together for years to recycle University-owned equipment. Together, an agreement was made that the ITAMG would come to campus with a truck and collect all of the gathered e-Waste from the community. 

“Adelphi continues to make a positive impact for our environment by raising awareness and offering opportunities to the community to ensure proper recycling of electronics waste,” Milia said. “The University stands out as a leader on Long Island and we are proud to support their sustainability initiatives.”

Dedication to Furthering Our Green Initiatives

Engagement continues to grow at these events every year. “The first time, we had approximately 40 people show up, and there were a lot of questions as to what constitutes as tech recycling. Now there are more users and more sophisticated questions because there’s a better understanding of what can and can’t be recycled.”

If you are unsure about recyclable technology items, understand that any product with a power cord and/or battery component can be recycled. Though we do not take batteries, we will accept any objects that take batteries or have electronic inner parts. For example, electric toothbrushes and plastic kid’s toys with automated features are fully acceptable and welcomed for eRecycling.

As this initiative has grown at Adelphi, IT has been collecting e-Waste in various residence halls and at the Help Desk in the weeks prior to the event. Furthermore, Nicollet and the IT team are currently discussing having campus drop-off boxes available year-round. 

Whether it’s through top rankings from the Princeton Review or placing first in the Car Free Day Long Island competition four years in a row, it’s clear that Adelphi is dedicated to sustainability and helping the environment. However, such progress shows that the real power to change is within the entire Panther community as well.