Lower East Side Ecology Center

Very cool.
I took a kid I babysit for and it seemed very educational. Most people don’t know old computers contain lead and mercury and even gold and platinum.

Recycling extends beyond the traditional realm of plastic, soda cans, can food, and paper goods in 2012.
LES Ecology Center now houses a facility in the Gowanus vicinity of Brooklyn which this review is based entirely on. This facility is difficult to locate even with GPS as it is very discreet on a industrial, commercial one-​way street. The associate was courteous to physically remove our unwanted electronics (antiquated relic electronic fossils and current models including broken and fully operational) of being strong physique without the spoken plead: «can you help us remove electronics from our vehicle, please?» Our party of three completed an online survey registration form and requested a tax deduction form for our donation and were warmly received in good honest hospitality. The associate will not touch what is unacceptable for recycling: no toasters, no earphones. Annihilate the unwanted as E-​Waste for e-​Recycling creates more space in one’s home and office setting.
Lower East Side Ecology Center, my unwanted electronic redeemer! Are you doing your part for a healthier environment enabling a better world?

This small non-​profit group — which has been in existence since 1987 — has recycling pick-​ups for electronic waste several times/​year, and not only in Manhattan. They’ve just opened a permanent drop-​off center for electronic waste, located in the Gowanus section of Brooklyn — and their grand opening celebration is this Saturday, from 12 – 4 p.m. (they’re accepting electronic waste at that time, of course). We’ve donated on two occasions this year (admittedly it helped to own a car, since we got rid of several large/​heavy items). All of the workers were very friendly (no surprise) — and if you’re so inclined, the group gratefully accepts (on-​line/​tax-​deductible) donations.

Lower East Side Ecology Center started as a collection of receptacles on the corner of 6^th street and avenue B, near the garden. They were an offshoot of the Village Greens recycling team over in the West Village; people could sort and drop off their recyclable containers there before the city ever had any recycling programs at all. Christina Datz has taken amazing initiative to build this business from those humble beginnings to one that collects e-​waste from around the city and runs important educational programs.
One main focus of LESEC is also the collection of compost, and I’ve been keeping a compost bucket for about 20 years, delivering my kitchen scraps to the garden on 7^th street between avenues B and C, operated by LESEC. There is also an impossible-​to-​miss compost collection site operated year-​round at the Greenmarket in Union Square on market days.
Christina holds a degree in Environmental Science, and clearly knows the rebuilding of topsoil is key to preserving the world; plus, keeping your smelly organic garbage out of your kitchen pail is a great way to keep roaches and stuff out of your garbage. (I’m not saying you’re a messy housekeeper, but we can always do more.)
The compost she produces is «black gold» that can make any garden bloom brighter; she sells the completed compost (basically worm sh*t) as well as «red viggler verms.» I haven’t yet taken the step of keeping a worm box in my kitchen, but because I’m not a gardener and compost drop-​off is so close to where I live, this is the best solution for now.

A friend and I recently started jogging along the running path by the East River, and last weekend, we decided to join in «It’s My Park Day» (a city-​wide park clean-​up effort) after our usual jog. The East River Park was most convenient for us, so we chose that as the park to volunteer for (that is the park in which the Ecology Center is located in).
The coordinators were nice, friendly, and informative about such things as identifying the weeds we were to pull out. Being a city girl, I have much to learn about our natural world, and I was thrilled to see that the LES Ecology Center offers so many workshops and events on composting, gardening, and environmental education.
The park itself is beautifully maintained, and hopefully the rest of the currently run-​down and under construction East River esplanade will be improved to match its splendor.