Rainy weather didn’t stop more than 1,000 community residents from dropping off items for recycling at the eighth annual Cummins Community-Wide Recycling Day.
The day started early for volunteers, some who reported for their shift at 6 a.m. Thursday in the Cummins Engine Plant 1 parking lot unloading cars, trailers and trucks filled with items to be recycled.
Wearing colorful rain slickers and safety glasses, 231 Cummins volunteers signed up to unload vehicles and sort items.
“We’re having a great time. I brought my team, so we’re doing team-building while we’re helping the community,” said Cummins supply chain manager Lucia Villalobos, as she stood beneath a tent sheltering barrels of paint and oil from the rain. It was her first year volunteering at the event.
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About 1,113 vehicles stopped in at the event, which continued until 6 p.m. During that time, Columbus had 0.13 inches of rain, and much of the day remained cloudy and overcast.
Some residents wait all year for this Cummins event, because it accepts so many different types of items that are difficult to recycle, and it’s free. The event accepts paint and used batteries, which is unusual for community recycling events.
“It’s a good event,” said off-duty Cummins employee John Trimpe, who dropped off a load of gardening supplies. “I live out of town, so this is just a lot of stuff I save up through the year.”
Last summer, more than 70 tons of material was collected for recycling in just 12 hours, a new record for the Cummins event.
The amount dropped off Thursday is still being determined, but organizers said it is safe to assume that it will be at least equal, if not even higher than last year.
For volunteer Margo Rout, Cummins director of southern Indiana labor relations, the event reflects on the company’s commitment to the community and the environment.
That’s also apparent by the company’s Environmental Challenge, which spells out the global company’s expectations as a good neighbor.
“I’m really proud that Cummins is so concerned with the environment and just making Columbus a cleaner, safer, healthier environment,” Rout said.
Traditional recyclables such as plastic, glass and paper were accepted in addition to hazardous materials, but most Columbus area residents brought items they could not properly recycle on their own.
“I had electronics and paints, and those are hard to get rid of through our normal recycling,” said Carol Lavengood, Columbus.
Used tires, motor oil and old computers were among the materials dropped off to be recycled free of charge.
“I look forward to this all year,” said Bill Guffey of Columbus, who explained the event is a safe and convenient way to dispose of oil used on his small farm.
After being dropped off and sorted, the materials are picked up by various recycling companies and organizations partnering with Cummins for the event. Green Wave Computer Recycling, Columbus/Bartholomew Recycling Center and National Environmental Inc. were all on-site during the event.
Kevin Vinson, National Environmental Inc. environmental specialist and Dave Wehrkamp, Cummins environmental manager, said they felt the process went smoothly this year. It’s the first year for the two to plan the event, they said.
“I think of this as CEP’s (Cummins Engine Plant’s) environmental Super Bowl. We started planning back in April,” Vinson said. “So it’s nice to see the fruits of your labor.”
Although the weather was challenging at times, it didn’t spoil the experience for Cummins electronic engineer John Charlton. He said the time spent with coworkers — many of whom he would not normally have the chance to meet — is what makes the recycling day special.
“That’s a big part of the day for me — saying ‘hi’ to people I know and the friendship…,” he said.
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Volunteers: 231
Cars unloaded: 1,113
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The Environmental Challenge honors Cummins’ pledge that everything it does leads to a cleaner, healthier, safer environment.
In 2015, the company said 21,600 employees from 30 countries devoted 72,600 hours to 88 projects and reduced the equivalent of 36,810 metric tons of greenhouse gas.
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