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EPA and Temple University to Participate at Professional Recyclers Conference in Scranton

Release Date: 07/28/2009
Contact Information: Donna Heron 215-814-5113 or heron.donna@epa.gov

PHILADELPHIA (July 28, 2009) -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s mid-Atlantic region and Temple University will be joining forces on presenting an innovative solution to obsolete electronics, also called e-waste, at the July 29 Professional Recyclers of Pennsylvania Conference, to be held in Scranton, Pa.

As our nation and the EPA grapple with how to increase the overall U.S. electronics recycling rate of 18 percent and determine how to best reduce, reuse and recycle our e-waste, Jonathan Latko, assistant director of Temple University’s Computer Recycling Center, has developed one approach to the e-waste problem that benefits not only the environment, but also the economic well-being of the university, its students, area schools and the community.

Latko will present a brief overview of Temple’s to e-waste which has beenh implemented over the past six years during a panel discussion in the College and University Recycling Council session of the conference, which will be moderated by Donna McGowan, an EPA environmental scientist.

In the past most equipment was collected only to be turned over to local electronics dealers at the cost of tens of thousands of dollars per year.

In 2003 after Latko had graduated form Temple’s MBA program, he took on the new role of managing the program and recognized that much of the old equipment still had potential value if resources could be allocated to clearing software, data and trouble shooting the hardware. Temple’s Computer Recycling Center has utilized the assistance of students to develop the center.

Since its inception, the Computer Recycling Center has recycled thousands of computers, avoiding the need to dispose of electronic equipment in landfills. The reuse which the center has facilitated has also helped to reduce energy consumption, conserve natural resources and prevent the emission of greenhouse gases which are attributed to climate change. Students benefit from access to computers at reduced costs and many are donated to schools and community organizations.

Temple University would be happy to share its computer recycling program with other colleges and universities to establish similar computer recycling centers.

For more information on the conference, go to http://www.proprecycles.org/PROP%20Conferences.html

More information on ecycling can be found at www.epa.gov/ecycle or by contacting Dan Gallo at 215-814-2091.