It's hard to imagine a time when we didn't have curbside recycling programs, but it was actually less than 30 years ago now. That's when Christine Datz-Romero had decided to do something to help divert recyclables from the waste stream. This expanded into an entire center that is the largest collector of food scraps and electronic waste here in NYC.

The Lower East Side Ecology Center that Christine founded helps divert 400 tonnes of food scraps from landfill. They also have a year-round e-waste recycling program that helps remove the 70% of heavy metals that can be found in landfill from electronics that are incorrectly disposed of.

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Resource mentioned in this episode:


Mary Appelhof


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Check out the LES Ecology Center’s e-waste drop off sites! There are popup locations every weekend through June. They’ve also opened an additional drop-off site in Chinatown at 75 Broadway near the East Broadway F stop or the Grand St. D stop. You can bring your computers, keyboard, printers, etc. on Monday, Wednesday and Thursdays between 12-4 PM. Link in show notes for more info.

Don’t miss the LES Ecology Center’s 30th birthday party at the East River Park on June 9th. Face painting, food, and compost - it’s a great opportunity to see what the LES Ecology Center does and help support the continuation of their work.

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Don't forget to subscribe, review, and share this podcast with other eco-warriors. We read all of your reviews and your positive ratings help us spread the word and spur more eco-warriors to action.

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