The parking lot at the former National Guard armory on Mary Lou Retton Drive was turned into a sea of discarded televisions and computer monitors on Oct. 25. A recycling drive spearheaded by Mission West Virginia collected nearly 200,000 of unwanted electronics.
FAIRMONT, W.Va. — The recent electronics recycling drive by Mission West Virginia and the Marion County Solid Waste Authority “went way too successfully,” said the Rev. D.D. Meighen, board president of Mission WV.
Nearly 200,000 pounds of electronics were collected in four tractor trailers. Included were 4,500 televisions (mostly large consoles, he said) and more than 2,000 computer monitors filled three 56-foot tractor trailers alone, he added.
“Our purpose was to help people faithfully and environmentally efficiently dispose of the electronics they wanted to get rid of instead of throwing them away or paying for them to be taken away,” he said.
“Landfills and recycling companies are pretty reluctant to take these,” he said.
Even more electronics were brought in that had been dumped alongside roadways, he said.
“We did this from a theological standpoint to keep God’s creation as clean and good as possible, not to trash our environment and creation. So from that standpoint, we were very successful.”
The event took place Oct. 25 at the former National Guard Armory on Mary Lou Retton Drive.
“We saw families bringing in things. People cleaning out their attics and basements. Municipalities, companies.
“In seven hours, we counted 457 vehicles…
