Employee E-Recycling Reaches 25 Tons at FCA US

For the second time this year, FCA US hosted an electronics recycling (e-recycling) event, collecting broken and outdated equipment from employees at the Auburn Hills Complex in Michigan on Sept. 8.

The group’s previous recycling event was held in conjunction with Earth Day in April.

Between the two events, the organizers collected nearly 25 tons of cell phones, laptop and desk top computers, tablets, printers, VCRs, DVD players, stereos, copiers, fax machines and various other items.

That total included 14,000 pounds collected in September along with more than 35,000 pounds turned in at the Earth Day collection.

Every item collected will be recycled into new products or back into raw materials, according to organizer Josette Steele, Asset Management Specialist at FCA US. The company works with a recycling contractor, Re-Source Partners, that maintains a zero-waste-to-landfill policy, Steele said.

The goal is to keep the e-waste out of landfills where toxic metals can leach into the soil and groundwater. Only about 15 percent is properly recycled in the United States.

Steele and her colleagues are hoping to make e-recycling an annual event on the headquarters campus.