City of Center Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CITY AND CHAMBER HOST FIRST ELECTRONICS RECYCLING AND SHRED DAY
Over 10 Tons of Electronics Recycled

CENTER, Texas (January 28, 2013) – The City of Center and the Shelby County Chamber of Commerce hosted its first Electronics Recycling and Shred Day on Friday, January 25, 2013, at the Downtown Square.  “We are pleased to report that Shelby County residents recycled a total of 21,640 pounds of electronic devices,” reported Center Mayor David Chadwick.  “The shred truck was also full after about two hours.”

The event started at 10:00 am that Friday, and people were already lined up to drop off items at 9:00.  “There was a steady flow of traffic with about 5,000 pounds of paper shredded,” stated Chamber Director, Pam Phelps.  “People were very appreciative.”

“Electronic devices contain many elements and chemicals that should not go into the solid waste stream and end up in a landfill,” explained Richard Tucker of STS Recycling, the Jacksonville, Texas-based-company who partnered with the City and Chamber for the recycling day.  “There are elements such as gold, silicon, and lead, and toxic fire retardants that are in our electronic devices.  Placing them in a local landfill is being a poor steward of our local environment.”  A much more responsible way to dispose of old devices, explained Tucker, is to recycle them with a company like STS.  STS takes the material and breaks it down;  some pieces are refurbished and resold, other pieces are mined for the materials.

The Shelby Beautiful Clean Committee also wished to provide a service to the community by making the shred truck available.  “Many companies and individuals have records retention requirements and storage spaces can fill up quickly,” Phelps said.  “This gave our residents the opportunity to safely and securely dispose of this material for free.”

“We have received calls asking when the next recycling event will be,” Nehring said.  “This is a service that is fairly easy to perform and provides a great benefit for the community.”

City of Center
617 Tenaha Street
Center, Texas  75935
Jim Gibson
936/598-2941