Lipscomb Recycles event set for Nov. 4 at the university and Nov. 15 at the academy

George Wong | 

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Each year, to celebrate America Recycles Day, Lipscomb Academy and Lipscomb University host two consecutive household and e-waste collections, so community members can recycle items that standard recycling drop sites don’t accept.

This year, the university will hold its collection on Saturday, Nov. 4, in front of the Burton Health Science Center at One University Park Drive, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and the academy will hold its collection on Wednesday, Nov. 15, at its elementary school campus at 4517 Granny White Pike, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

LipscombRecycles_SideHousehold items and electronic waste will be collected along with all medications and recyclable materials. Metro Nashville police officers will be on-site to collect donated pharmaceuticals, and Shred-It will accept and securely shred paper documents during each event. Proceeds from various collected materials will go to: Safe Haven Family Shelter, Made in the Streets, Monarch Watch and post-911 veterans’ organizations.

The Lipscomb Recycles event provides an easy and convenient way for the Nashville community to dispose of unwanted materials that would normally end up in a landfill, said Ginger Reasonover, Lipscomb Academy elementary school science lab coordinator and co-director of its environmental green team.

“In the past we have had a good response with folks cleaning out once a year to bring us recyclable materials,” said Reasonover. “With nearly 250 families coming to each collection last year, we also expect to receive a good amount of clothing and usable household goods to benefit ThriftSmart and Safe Haven, this year. We also usually receive several hundred pounds of medications that would normally go in the trash, however, by recycling this medication it keeps it out of our water and soil.”

Reasonover says that not only is this event a great convenience for the community and beneficial to the environment, but it is also a great learning opportunity for students.

“The Lipscomb Recycles event is our way to add a service learning component to their science standards that deal with the environment and helps students to understand that taking just a few small steps will prevent a huge mess in a landfill,” said Reasonover. “The academy third-graders help with this event as part of their study of Household Hazardous Waste, and will make an extra push to collect items that are not normally accepted by traditional recycling programs, such as CFL's, batteries, medications, ink jet cartridges, ink pens and dried up coloring markers."

LipscombRecycles_Side2Linda Phipps, Lipscomb University professor of Chemistry, says this year, she is hoping to help raise awareness of how Lipscomb University students can also participate.

“This year we are really encouraging university students in particular to bring over non-working electronics, old medications, batteries, old clothing, books, etc. – in addition to normally recyclable things, like paper, beverage containers, and cardboard,” said Phipps. “Our hope is to cultivate an awareness of the things that university students could/should be recycling, and even if they aren’t provided with an opportunity to recycle in the dorms, how each can be conscientious stewards by collecting those things and recycling at events like this one.”

Items accepted include:

  • Electronic waste
  • Small batteries, alkaline and rechargeable (A, AA, AAA, C, D, 9-volt, button) – No car batteries
  • Compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs) & fluorescent tubes
  • Cell phones
  • Unused and out of date medications, both prescriptive and over the counter
  • Ink cartridges
  • Plastic bags (grocery store, department store, dry cleaning, etc…)
  • Empty chip bags
  • Aluminum cans
  • Plastic beverage bottles
  • Empty personal-care containers, such as shampoo, conditioner, make-up, mascara, etc…
  • Newspaper
  • Glass collection
  • Gently used clothing and small household items

E-Waste media include:

  • Computers and Peripherals
    • Complete and partial systems (working or not), processors (CPUs), optical drives (CDROM, CDRW, DVD, etc…) network and communications hardware (modems, routers, hubs, etc…), drives (hard drives, floppy), keyboards, laptops, mice, monitors, network hardware (servers), paper tape readers and punchers, plotters, printers, tape drives
  • Home Electronics
    • TVs (CRT, flat panel, plasma, etc…) microwaves, mixers, phones (corded, cordless, and cellular), entertainment goods (VCRs, DVD players, radios and speakers, but NO WHITE GOODS (including: refrigerators, freezers, washers, dryers).
  • Office Equipment
    • Bar code equipment, pagers, copy machines, fax machines, telephone systems (cordless, cellular, desk)
  • Security Equipment
    • Cameras, recorders, alarms, VCRs, key pads
  • Utility and Power Equipment
    • CATV, cable, electric generators, gas meters, repeaters, transformers, water meters, specialty equipment, construction, production, manufacturing equipment
  • Metals
    • Aluminum, any gold bearing product, brass, copper, stainless, lead, nickel alloy, platinum, palladium, mercury, rare earth, etc.

Want to learn more? Contact Linda Phipps at linda.phipps [at] lipscomb.edu and Ginger Reasonover at ginger.reasonover [at] lipscomb.edu or visit https://www.facebook.com/LipscombRecycling/.