Lackawanna County commissioners recently awarded grants to cover or defray the costs of municipal electronics recycling events, a modest investment for the county that helps mitigate illegal dumping and improper disposal at landfills. Commissioners Bill Gaughan and Chris Chermak approved reimbursements of up to $1,000 each for seven municipalities that held or will hold electronic recycling events in their communities. Archbald, Clarks Summit, Moscow, Scranton, and Roaring Brook and Scott townships held their events in recent months, while Mayfield鈥檚 electronics recycling collection is planned for Sept. 27.
鈥淭hey are awesome,鈥� county Director of Environmental Sustainability Nicole Shapiro said of the events, noting the county鈥檚 electronics recycling tonnage numbers have gone up significantly since it started the grant program. 鈥淭hey work really well, and I think the municipalities 鈥� appreciate the grant.鈥�
Scranton Recycling and Safety Coordinator Chris McClatchy said the city appreciates the funding, which helped defray the cost of an electronics recycling event held May 17 at Scranton High School. More than 150 residents dropped off materials at that event, diverting and disburdening themselves of more than 5 tons of electronic waste, he said.