Berkshire Athenaeum Computer Recycling Collection

Print Story | Email Story
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — In observance of Earth Day, the Berkshire Athenaeum, Pittsfield's public library, is collaborating with Goodwill Industries of the Berkshires and Southern Vermont by hosting a computer recycling collection starting Friday,
April 22, and continuing through Friday, April 29.
 
The event is part of the Dell-Reconnect residential recycling program, an initiative that works in partnership with the Goodwill. Accepted items include monitors, scanners, computer mice, printers, keyboards, laptop batteries, ink and toner cartridges, computers, hard drives, speakers, cords, and cables; television sets will not be accepted.
 
"The athenaeum is excited to partner with Goodwill again for this collection. Responsibly disposing of your outdated technology is a great way to celebrate Earth Day and support our community," said Technical Services Supervisor Autumn Mawhinney.
 
Patrons can drop off recycled items during regular library hours in the designated bins. For daily hours of operation, visit pittsfieldlibrary.org.
 
Individuals should be sure to remove all personal data from devices, as neither Dell nor the Berkshire Athenaeum is liable for data removal or protection.
 
Since July 2018, just over 88,900 pounds of computer equipment has been recycled thanks to the Dell-Reconnect partnership with four Berkshire County Goodwill stores.
 
The Dell-Reconnect program was created in 2004. Trained staff in 44 states sort and process collected equipment to be picked up and recycled by Dell. Revenue from the program gives back to Dell-Reconnect to support Goodwill's employment placement and job training services.
 
For more information about the recycling event, please call 413-499-9480 or email info@pittsfieldlibrary.org

Tags: recycling,   

If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Pittsfield School Committee OKs $82M Budget, $1.5M Cuts

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The school budget is less grim than the original proposal but still requires more than $1.5 million in cuts.

On Thursday, the School Committee approved an $82.8 million spending plan for fiscal year 2025, including a city appropriation of $80.4 million and $2.4 million in Chapter 70 funds.

The cuts made to balance the budget include about 50 staff reductions — some due to the sunsetting of federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funds.

"The final version does not answer all needs. It will be unacceptable to some or to many but I must say that tonight's final proposal is very different than where we started when we believed we would have a $3,600,000 reduction. I want to assure everyone that every effort has been made to minimize the impact on both students, families, and staff members while also ensuring that our district has the necessary resources to progress forward," Superintendent Joseph Curtis said.

"Nevertheless, there are incredibly passionate, dedicated staff members who will not be with us next year. This pains me as I've been a part of this organization for now 30 years so I want to assure everyone that our team, this has weighed very heavily in our hearts, this entire process. This is not a group of people that is looking at a spreadsheet saying ‘Well that can go and this can go’ and take that lightly."

Assistant Superintendent for Business and Finance Kristen Behnke and other officials worked with the state Department of Secondary and Elementary Education to rectify an error in the Chapter 70 funding formula, recognized 11 more low-income students in the district, and added an additional $2.4 million to the FY25 budget.

Curtis commented that when he first saw the governor’s FY25 budget, he was "rather stunned."

"The extraordinary circumstances we face this budget season by the conclusion of the substantial ESSER federal grant and a significant reduction in Chapter 70 allotment caused challenges for this team and our school principals and our educators and our staff that have been nothing short of all-consuming," he said.

View Full Story

More Pittsfield Stories