May 9, 2009

A big thanks to all the volunteers and others who helped out at another successful DropOff and SwapOff Day on Saturday, May 9. This was our 22nd event! Traffic was down a bit from the record we set last year, but a very respectable total of 889 paying vehicles came through the DropOff (the fifth largest ever). As usual, we have no way to count how many people came through the SwapOff area, but we know it was busy!
All in all, everything went remarkably well. After an uncertain start under threatening skies, it turned out to be a beautiful day. The new traffic and unloading pattern at the SwapOff seemed to improve the flow. Bill Turville and friends were back to create another delightful sculpture out of colorful pieces of unwanted waste. WIQH, the Concord-Carlisle High School student radio station, again broadcast live from the event. Kudos to everyone for your ongoing support and participation in this unique event. There were well over 100 volunteers helping out at the DropOff and SwapOff. Without you, this event would never be possible.

Summary of the Items Collected at DropOff

  • 1 1/2 5-gallon buckets of lead acid batteries
  • 1 1/2 truck loads of household goods
  • 1 30 yard roll-off container of upholstered furniture
  • 1 5-gallon bucket of mercury thermostats and thermometers
  • 1 box of 8 foot fluorescent bulbs
  • 1 box of crayons
  • 1/2 truck load of children's items
  • 1/3 5-gallon bucket of ballasts
  • 1/4 bucket of assorted batteries
  • 13 helium tanks
  • 13 laser jet printer cartridges
  • 149 pounds of VHS tapes
  • 15 yard roll-off container of carpet
  • 182 bags of Styrofoam
  • 19 bags of sneakers for Goodwill
  • 2 5-gallon buckets of rechargeable batteries
  • 21 bags of sneakers for Nike
  • 21 dehumidifiers
  • 27 microwaves
  • 3 boxes of compact and small fluorescent bulbs
  • 3 containers of 4 foot fluorescent bulbs
  • 3,800 pounds of books
  • 3/4 of a 53 foot truck load of electronics
  • 35 Mattresses
  • 39 air conditioners
  • 4 55-gallon bags of plastic flower pots
  • 4 containers of rags
  • 40 propane tanks
  • 49 ink jet printer cartridges
  • 5 30 yard roll-off containers of scrap metal
  • 50 cell phones
  • 51 55-gallon bags of plastic bags
  • 6 fire extinguishers
  • 6 refrigerators
  • 66 pounds of 3.5 floppy disks
  • 7 bags of towels
  • 80 bikes
  • 84 pounds of cassettes
  • 85 pounds of CDs
  • Numerous boxes of paper were shredded during the course of the event

We also collected 4 30-yard roll offs of wood and construction debris that will be recycled into low level reuse and 5 30-yard roll offs of oversized waste that will be land filled. Thanks again to all of you. Everyone did a wonderful job.

To review the event, consider our "lessons learned" and begin planning for next October, we have scheduled a wrap-up meeting for Thursday, May 21 at 135 Keyes Road. Please join us if you'd like to share feedback or become more actively involved in this event. Team Leaders are strongly encouraged to attend. SwapOff from 6:30 - 7:30 p.m., DropOff from 7:30 - 8:30 p.m. If you cannot attend but have feedback to share, please send us an email.

Thanks again to all of you. Everyone did a wonderful job. The next DropOff and SwapOff will be October 17th. Put it on your calendar now!