ORAU employees diverted 14,464 pounds of technorecylables and donations from the landfill during the company’s annual two-day recycling event in honor of Earth Day.
During the event, employees had the opportunity to drop off items that are difficult to dispose of, such as television sets, computer monitors, batteries, and medications, as well as donating lightly used items to the Ecumenical Storehouse and the Holiday Bureau.
Employees collected 3,633 pounds of technorecyclables and 973 pounds of batteries and bulbs, and donated 969 pounds to the Holiday Bureau and 567 pounds to the Ecumenical Storehouse.
ORAU invited local vendors onsite during the event to assist with secure shredding of 3,800 pounds of paper and collecting 106 pounds of medication for disposal. The Michael Dunn Center performed onsite secure shredding; Allies for Substance Abuse Prevention of Anderson County and Oak Ridge Police Department collected the unused or unwanted medication as part of Operation Medicine Cabinet.
The Holiday Bureau, founded in 1945, is a nonprofit organization which helps low-income families in Anderson County provide memorable holiday experiences. They accept donations of decorations, toys, clothing and more, working year-round to provide for local families. The organization is completely volunteer-run, and volunteers wash and clean all donations themselves, even painting and refurbishing items when needed.
The Ecumenical Storehouse was established in 1984, and is a volunteer-run nonprofit which accepts, stores and distributes the household goods needed to set up small living quarters to benefit those whose homes have been displaced through personal tragedy or other emergencies. The Storehouse serves Anderson County, Roane County, Campbell County, Morgan County and Scott County, in addition to other area counties.