For the third year in a row, KNOM was proud to participate in a special recycling event in Nome last month: an annual collection of e-waste (discarded electronics, such as old or broken computers, spent batteries, and the like).
Because of environmental concerns, e-waste cannot simply be thrown out; electronics tend to contain specific chemicals that, if left in a regular city dump, can cause harm to the local ecosystem. E-waste needs to be recycled, and recycling in rural Alaska always involves extra effort.
Like all of the communities KNOM serves, Nome is an exceptionally remote place, which makes any type of recycling (glass, paper, e-waste, or otherwise) both expensive and logistically complicated.
Thankfully, an effort spearheaded by a tribal organization in Nome (Kawerak) has made e-waste pickup possible. KNOM chips in by airing announcements about the event, just like we do for countless community happenings every day. As seen in the photos, we also reported live at the scene; volunteer newsie Margaret DeMaioribus talked with Anahma Shannon, the leader of the recycling effort.
Thanks to you, we got the word out about this rare, but greatly needed, community opportunity – and made rural Alaska a cleaner, greener place to live.
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This article is part of the July 2013 edition of our newsletter, The Nome Static.
