Image of a green recycling bin containing electronic recycling
Faculty/Staff, Mobile Devices, Replacement Cycle, Sustainability, Workshops and Events

Swarthmore College’s Inaugural E-Waste Collection Event

Are you an employee at Swarthmore with old, non-reusable electronic devices in your workspace?  Not sure how to sustainably dispose of them? You can now recycle them without leaving campus!

In partnership with People Advancing Reintegration Recycle Works (PAR), we’re announcing Swarthmore’s First E-Waste Collection Event. 

When: Wednesday, November 30, 2022 from 10am to 2pm 

Where: Back portion of DuPont parking lot [Google Maps coordinates]

Please sign up and provide information on the items you intend to bring to the collection event. 

What should I know before bringing my items to be recycled?

  • For ITS-provided and College-owned devices, please check in with ITS before bringing an item to the collection event. Devices on the computer replacement cycle should not be brought to the collection event. If you’re not sure whether your device is on the replacement cycle, please visit support.swarthmore.edu to enter a support request to confirm. Please include the serial number.
  • Please note: All data should be wiped from any devices with a hard drive. You can find the instructions on data wiping for an iPhone, Android, Mac, iOS, and Windows. Apple Device users: please remember to sign out of iCloud or iTunes before wiping your device. PAR wipes hard drives as part of their deconstruction process; however, it is College policy to ensure hard drives are wiped before disposal. It is the employee’s responsibility to wipe the data off any hard drive before bringing their device to the event. 

About PAR

PAR is a local not-for-profit company which hires formerly-incarcerated people to help recycle used electronics. Their mission is two-fold: working to restore lives by providing job training and transitional paid employment in a supportive environment while simultaneously protecting the planet and assuring that e-waste is repurposed instead of being thrown away. 

PAR collects all computer equipment, printers, scanners, tablets, cell phones, telephones, keyboards, speakers, gaming systems, fax machines, DVD players, VCRs, chargers, and small appliances. For more details on what devices can be recycled, please refer to their list of allowed devices.

PAR is a first-level processing center for used electronics. Their workers deconstruct the items received and separate them into their major components. When necessary, they erase all data from hard drives before selling components to environmentally-responsible downstream processors.

Thank you in advance for your cooperation with this exciting event! Happy recycling!