On Saturday, Sept. 23, the semiannual Electronics Recycling Drive will be hosted from 8 a.m.-12 p.m. in the Southwest parking lot. Used electronics, including laptops, TVs, printers, monitors and more may be donated.

The drive is a fundraiser for the Southwest Music Department. Band students will be working to unload electronics from cars and organize them into bins. 

“A lot of people come and they drop off their used electronics. It’s cool to see all of them there,” senior Alex Schwarz said. “In the back of my mind, I know that going can help out our music department.”

Most items are free to drop off, but electronics such as CRT monitors, televisions, smartboards, stand alone copiers and large appliances will have a $10-$25 charge when they are donated. Instead of going to the recycling center like they usually would, these charges will go directly to the music department.

“It costs money to recycle those materials,” Mr. Jacob Fahrlander said. “They (the recycling company) still get the materials, but for every TV or electronic, we take whatever that charge would be. That’s the fundraiser for us.”

To make this fundraiser possible, Southwest partners with a recycling center in Lincoln called American Recycling. All donated electronics will be taken there after the drive.

This is the first of two electronic recycling drives planned for the 2023-2024 school year.