Although rain clouds loomed over Columbus, more than 1,000 cars made their way to the facility Thursday for the eighth annual Cummins Community-Wide Recycle Day.
The day started early for volunteers, some of whom were ready at 6 a.m. in the Cummins Engine Plant parking lot to begin unloading cars filled with recyclable products.
Standing alongside the main entrance of the plant as two lanes of cars moved through, volunteers swiftly unloaded each vehicle and sorted the materials into appropriate piles for recycling.
Clad in red, white and yellow rain slickers, organizers also distributed safety glasses and gloves to help volunteers withstand periodic downpours.
Before 1 p.m., Columbus saw 0.13 inches of rain, and much of the day was cloudy and overcast.
Despite this, many Cummins employees still welcomed the opportunity to take a break from their daily duties to help out in a different way.
“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, a first-time volunteer, as she stood beneath a tent sheltering barrels of paint and oil from the rain.
Various shifts of 231 volunteers unloaded approximately 1,113 cars by the end of the event.
For more on this story, see Saturday’s Republic.
