Local nonprofits recycle more than 800 items at United Way’s free e-waste event 

About 20 organizations turned out for United Way of Westchester and Putnam’s free e-waste event to dispose of 817 items. Among the items were 518 hard drives, 21 tablets, 3 TVs and more. 

Hosted by United Way of Westchester and Putnam, Progressive Computing, and Upcycle, the event took place at the offices of United Way in White Plains on Wednesday, June 29. Local nonprofits, schools, and government agencies were invited to take part in the electronic waste recycling event. 

“I am delighted that about 20 of our partners participated,” said United Way of Westchester and Putnam CEO Tom Gabriel. “The cost of disposing of old electronic equipment is burdensome for many of our partners. By offering this service to the community for free, we are ensuring that the agencies can increase their capacities, while also arranging for a secure and environmentally safe way of discarding the broken or antiquated equipment.” 

Upcycle specialists did the heavy-lifting and loading—participants brought old, broken or retired equipment to the event. Accepted equipment included computers, laptops, cell phones, tablets, printers, projectors and more. 

Raj Alengadan, director of information technology for Cove Care Center, along with two coworkers, brought a trunk full of old electronics that had been cluttering the basement for years. 

“It was such a relief to clear that space,” he said. “We were thankful for the opportunity to get rid of it and we feel good about doing so responsibly and safely, both for the environment and the protection of our clients’ and staff’s privacy.” 

To protect participants’ privacy, Upcycle supplied a blanket certificate of data destruction ensuring that each hard drive was wiped using a Department of Defense and HIPPA compliant software.