The Campbell Reporter

News

Campbell City Hall became a junkyard on May 10. But not to worry: It was only for seven hours, and more importantly it was for a good cause.

The second annual Junkyard Day brought people from Campbell and surrounding cities, hauling all their unwanted electronics, appliances and metals to city hall, 70 N. First St.

Thanks to a partnership between the city and San Jose recycling companies American Metal and Iron (AMI) and ASL Recycling, residents were able to drop off unwanted junk at no cost.

The two companies recycle the material, giving the city a per-pound percentage of the proceeds, said Councilwoman Jane Kennedy, who has headed Junkyard Day since the first event last September.

"People are able to dump their junk off, and they don't even have to get out of their cars. It's a fast operation," she said.

The money generated from the event goes to the Campbell Historical Museum and Ainsley House Foundation. Kennedy, who is president of the foundation's board of directors, said the money will likely go to support educational programs.

Last year, Junkyard Day produced about $2,000 from 300 carloads of junk. With two hours to go on Saturday, Kennedy said about 230 cars had come by.

Campbell resident Jason Hanna attended last year's event, and this year he managed to dig up a computer, stereo equipment and a refrigerator.

"I've had some of that stuff for 25 years," he said. "I had that TV since I was 19, but it died about two years ago."

Roland Bouchereau, a former Campbell resident who now lives in the Cambrian area, dropped off a computer, scanner, typewriter and vacuum cleaner. He said he considered selling the computer but thought it better to recycle its parts.

A software engineer in the Silicon Valley, Bouchereau knows the importance of properly disposing of and recycling electronic waste.

"It's becoming more and more clear all the time that we have learned this lesson a little too late about e-waste," he said. "If we had known longer, we'd probably been doing this a lot longer as a community, but it's definitely a consideration now."

Because electronics carry harmful chemicals such as mercury, they are potentially hazardous when not properly disposed of. Bouchereau said he is seeing more and more places providing e-waste recycling services for free.

Because of the event's success, Kennedy said she is working to make Junkyard Day a biannual event, with another one happening in September.

"It's a win-win situation for the city and the community," she said.

For more information on e-waste recycling, visit www.aslrecycling .com or www. amerimetals.com.