Recycling competition puts a charge into county-wide waste prevention

There is something uplifting – even soul-nourishing – when I see young folks mobilize for a good cause. It makes me feel confident about the future when I see these community members stand up for what they believe in, even in the face of adversity, and have their voices heard through words and actions.

The recently concluded Electronics Recycling Competition is an excellent example of this.

A record-setting 48 Lane County schools – representing nearly every county district – that participated in this year’s competition diverted a record-setting amount of electronics waste from the landfill. The competition was a joint effort between Waste Wise Lane County – a part of Lane County Waste Management – and nonprofit NextStep Recycling.  

“Combining all the school participants’ e-waste totals altogether now, the schools have kept a total of 41,491 lbs. of electronic recycling out of the landfill,” said NextStep Recycling Executive Director Jessica Ahrenholtz. “This is an incredible achievement for everyone who has contributed to the event!”

That e-waste will now be recycled or refurbished and sold at the NextStep ReUse Store at 987 Garfield Street in Eugene. Sales from the ReUse Store support NextStep’s work with underserved communities.

To put these numbers in context, the ERC collected 134,000 pounds between 2015 and 2024. Therefore, this year’s collection was 30 percent of that total!

Consider me awed.

• Eight Lane County schools in four different student population categories won grants to support school sustainability ($500 for first place, $250 for second place), a NextStep Reuse Store gift certificate, and a special recognition award to be given in the coming weeks.

• Students and their families were at the heart of these efforts. The following is a rundown of the winning schools:

Congrats, and thank you to all participating schools, including administrators, staff, parents, and community members! See all the individual school totals at wastewiselane.org/erc. 

If your school didn’t participate this year and wants to participate in the fun next year, please follow @WasteWiseLaneCounty on Facebook and Instagram or visit wastewiselane.org/erc. School signups will begin again this November. 

Daniel Hiestand is the Lane County Waste Reduction Outreach Coordinator and a monthly columnist for The Chronicle. Waste Wise Lane County, a part of the Lane County Waste Management Division, seeks to empower residents, businesses, and schools with resources to reduce waste and live sustainably.