4THBIN and Broadway Green Alliance team up for fall e-Waste drive

4THBIN recently teamed up with Broadway Green Alliance for a fall e-waste drive. The collection drive took place at Father Duffy Square and was a great opportunity for the Broadway community to turn theatre or office clean-outs into a greener, more sustainable experience. By joining forces, we hoped to increase public awareness of recycling, while minimizing the number of recyclables sent to landfills.

E-waste leads as the fastest growing waste stream worldwide, accounting for more than 70% of overall waste in the United States. With more than 53 million metric tonnes of e-waste being produced yearly, only a total of 20% globally ends up being properly recycled. 

The Broadway Green Alliance (BGA) educates, motivates, and inspires the entire theatre community and its patrons to implement environmentally friendlier practices. The BGA brings together all segments of the theatre community, including producers, Broadway and Off-Broadway theaters in New York and around the country, college drama programs, theatrical unions, and their members, and related businesses.

At the end of the three-hour period, a total of 4,334 pounds of e-waste had been collected. Thousands of old and unwanted electronics including cellphones, laptops, and tablets had been collected to become securely disposed of. 

The e-waste drive served as a collaborative effort to boost community sustainability efforts, and an opportunity to spread knowledge on the risks associated with electronic waste. By decreasing the number of electronics sent to landfills, we diminished substantial amounts of toxic components. Toxins found in landfills including mercury, lead, cadmium, barium, and lithium have been proven to have damaging effects on both the environment and humanity. 

Getting a grip on the growing global landfill crisis known as electronic waste may seem unattainable, but opportunities like this one prove that when motivated individuals come together - we can make a big impact! A fun afternoon with members of the community resulted in reducing more than 6,000 pounds of greenhouse gas emissions, diverted nearly 125 pounds of toxic metals, and allowed for the ability to reclaim nearly 1,500 pounds of metals!

Numbers like these play a huge role in making a major ecological impact. Productions including The Lion King, The Phantom of the Opera, and WICKED contributed to the drive and helped make a positive ecological impact in the Broadway community and beyond. Providing the opportunity to make a positive, lasting impact is what 4THBIN stands for. 

If you missed this event, don’t worry! 4THBIN plans on taking part in more public recycling events soon. Be sure to keep up with us on our social platforms to be the first to know about future e-waste recycling opportunities!

All collected e-waste was ethically recycled to the e-Stewards® Standard, and all data was erased to the NIST 800-88 r1 Standard.

To find out how 4THBIN can help your residential building with secure and sustainable electronics recycling services, contact us today at hello@4thbin.com.