The smart car and Recycling for Charities made an appearance at Detroit’s Eastern Market on Saturday November 7th, 2009. Recycling for Charities and Eastern Market partnered up to hold an e-waste recycling drive for the public. Set up behind shed 5 of Eastern Market, Recycling for Charities had the smart car on display as the public stop by to donate old cell phones, digital cameras, PDAs, and MP3 players.

The electronics were accepted whether they were in working condition or not. For each item donated, Eastern Market will receive a monetary donation to be used towards their organization. Many of these electronics either end up in landfills polluting the environment or are stored around the house somewhere collecting dust.

While at Eastern Market, Recycling for Charities was given the chance to not only receive electronics to be recycled but also the opportunity to interact with the public. The smart car was on display catching the attention of the crowd as they walked by. People then became curious and began coming to the table to find out more about Recycling for Charities.

As the old electronic devices were being collected consumers were being taught exactly why it is important to recycle electronics and the harm of e-waste. Many of them were unaware of the problems caused by e-waste and that they could be a part of the solution. They soon realized that they were not only donating to Eastern Market for a good cause, but also doing the environment a favor by reducing e-waste.

Overall, 43 items were collected to be recycled for a monetary value that will go directly back to Eastern Market. Recycling for Charities would like to thank everyone who stopped by to donate and learn more about the organization. Also, we would especially like to thank Eastern Market for their support and hospitality, which allowed this drive to be successful. Hopefully, in the near future Recycling for Charities and Eastern Market can partner up again to put on another e-waste recycling drive.