Tag: keep powder springs beautiful

Recycling 101: Electonic Waste

Recycling 101: Electronics

keeppowderspringsbeautiful
Recycling 101: Electonic Waste

When cleaning out a closet recently, I was stunned by the amount of cables, old cell phones, lithium batteries (hard pack) and other e-waste I found. “E-waste” is the industry shorthand for electonic waste. And, boy, are we creating it all around the world?

Global e-waste reached a record 62 million tons in 2022, a figure expected to rise to 82 million tons by 2030. Only 22.3% of this waste was properly collected and recycled in 2022, creating massive environmental and health hazards. E-waste is the world’s fastest-growing waste stream, increasing five times faster than documented recycling efforts. – World Health Organization

We are happy to partner with Ecycle Atlanta at our Spring Clean Up 2026 at Thurman Springs Park to help our citizens dispose of their old equipment responsibly. This FREE drop off day allows you to bring all of your old electronics for free and safe disposal. All items will be sorted, dismantled, and checked for any data holding devices including, but not limited to hard drive, floppy disks, data tapes, cds, usb thumb drives, tablets, and cell phones.

All data holding media will then be segregated for secure destruction. Hard drives do not need to pulled from computers in advance of pick up or drop off unless required by a customer. You can learn more about the security measures and processes they follow at Ecycle Atlanta.

ACCEPTED ITEMS INCLUDE:

  • computers (desktop/tower)
  • laptops
  • servers (tower/rack units)
  • networking equipment
  • telecom equipment
  • LCD monitors & TVs
  • printers
  • copiers
  • modems/routers
  • cable/satellite boxes
  • USB, video & power cords
  • audio/video equipment
  • all circuit boards
  • UPS/battery backups
  • lead acid non-spillable batteries
  • lithium-ion batteries
  • cell phones & other mobile devices
  • barcode scanners
  • office phones/phone systems
  • insulated cables/wires
  • video consoles & games
  • ipads/tablets/e-readers
  • keyboards/mice
  • stereo equipment
  • ….and more!
Save the Date 2026

Looking Ahead in 2026

keeppowderspringsbeautiful

It’s time to fill in your 2026 calendars with all the dates you don’t want to miss for events related to sustainability and beautification here in Powder Springs! Keep Powder Springs Beautiful is committed to helping you find the resources you need in and around Cobb County. Here is a short list of what we know if on our calendar so far:

Winter Break Birding Program – February 19th

This multi-age, intergenerational program is designed for families and friends to share the love of birding together. Come together to learn about the Great Backyard Bird Count and how you can participate. Participants will practice bird identification through photos, calls, and on-site observation. We’ll make bird feeders for participants to take home, and learn about what native plants attract the birds you love. Register for this free event here.

Spring Clean Up – March 28th

Join us for a celebrating “all things sustainability” in Powder Springs. We’ll highlight all the Rs on this day with vendors, stage demonstrations, a community yard sale, and recycling drop off. Learn more about partners in our Cobb community who provide environmental services and education. Learn more about the Yard Sale participation, recycling drop off, the plant sale and more here.

Outdoor Adventure Days – April 9th & 10th

Looking for a fun, community centered activity for kids during Spring Break? Let them celebrate school break in the great outdoors right here in Powder Springs! Sessions include nature-based play with a blend of outdoor and indoor elements. Full day and half day options available; ages 6-12. Register your child here.

Pick It Up! Powder Springs – April 25th

Join us for a morning dedicated to cleaning up our community one street at a time. Come as a team, business or as an individual to help us keep Powder Springs beautiful! Register to volunteer here.

Shred Day – May 9th

Protect against identity theft and reduce waste by having documents shredded securely on-site by a licensed, bonded and locally-owned shredding company. Medical bills, bank and credit card statements, checks, and documents that contain personal or sensitive information. Please remove all paper clips and binder clips. Limit of 10 banker boxes or ten 13 gallon trash bags per vehicle. NO file folders, glossy paper, magazines, junk mail, periodicals, newspaper, CDs, DVDs, binders or books will be shredded. Free to community. Learn more or volunteer here.

Stay in touch with us by following this blog. We’ll continue to post information about event details and added programs for our community.

Bring One for the Chipper

keeppowderspringsbeautiful

The holidays are winding down and it is almost time to think about “restoring order” to our homes by taking down those holiday decorations. If you need assistance disposing of that live tree, Keep Powder Springs Beautiful can help!

When you purchase a live tree, you make a conscious choice to improve the environment. According to the National Christmas Tree Association, nearly 350 million Christmas trees currently grow on U.S. farms, absorbing carbon dioxide, emitting fresh oxygen, stabilizing soil, protecting water supplies, and providing refuge for wildlife. For each tree harvested, one to three seedlings are planted in its place—that makes them a renewable resource. Dropping it off with us after the holidays is the logical next step! We’ll transform it into mulch, fuel, or fish habitats. We like to call this the act of ‘treecycling’. – Keep Georgia Beautiful

Enter Bring One for the Chipper! Each year Keep America Beautiful affiliates nationwide sponsor dropp off locations on the first Saturday of the new year. Our Keep Powder Springs Beautiful location is at our Home Depot located at 1062 Richard Sailors Pkwy. We will be set up in the southeast corner of the parking lot (closest to Walgreens) on Saturday, January 3rd from 10am to 2pm. It is as simple as pulling up in the lane and allowing one of our friendly volunteers to assist you in removing your tree from your vehicle.

Please remember…

  • Bring One for the Chipper is for live trees only.
  • Not accepted at the event: artificial tree, trees with lights or ornament, flocked tree, garland or wreaths (the wire make them ineligible for chipping).
  • Christmas trees may be dropped off during the week before the event. Help unloading trees and free seedlings will only be available during the date and time listed above.
  • Holiday lights are accepted for recycling during the event time.
  • The event is open to everyone and is free.
  • Tree seedlings available for participants while supplies last

Joining us this year, our friends from Charleston Coffee Roasters will be on-hand serving coffee to volunteers and participants. We are thankful for their partnership in keeping Powder Springs beautiful at Bring One for the Chipper 2026!! Hope to see you there.

Less Waste for the Holidays – eWaste

keeppowderspringsbeautiful

Holiday memories from my childhood include my father in the living room patiently (and sometimes not so patiently) laying out strands of lights to see what we had that was functional. Those large bulb, energy suckers did indeed warm an entire room and would even burn small fingers if you got too close. I think about that each year and I have now inherited that ritual with much small and more energy efficient strands for our tree.

I don’t remember what my father did with each year’s rejects, but I fear that yet sit in the bottom of a landfill somewhere south of Atlanta. But as the saying goes, “when we know better, we do better.” While there are a plethora of options for us, we do have a few places we can go to responsibly take care of our eWaste.

Check out this list of local resources below to see where you might be able to take eWaste you find around your home this holiday season:

  • ReWorx Recycling accepts electronics, metals and other recyclables ensuring eco-friendly disposal. Items accepted include but are not limited to computers, gaming consoles, home audio equipment, old exercise equipment and even lawn and garden tools!
  • Ecycle Atlanta can help you with disposal of materials that might contain sensitive information. See a list of all their items here.
  • Home Depot locations run an “Eco Options Light Trade In” during the Christmas season.
  • HolidayLeds.com is a mail-in program that recycles Christmas lights all year long.