“Tough Stuff” a success

There are few events that can back-up traffic at IU South Bend from Mishawka Avenue to 20th Street and Twyckenham Drive, and the Second Annual Tough Stuff Recycling Festival was one of them.

The event began on April 9, with local businesses and schools donating old electronics. On April 10, residents from the Michiana area brought everything from old computers to old shoes to be recycled.

People began arriving by 9 a.m. Saturday morning, and traffic was backed up not long after. The event was scheduled to end at 2 p.m., but was extended an extra hour to accommodate the people who were already in line to recycle their goods, according to a press release on the IUSB website.

More than 1,000 cars, vans, and trucks went through the line to drop off items that are normally difficult to recycle or get rid of. Last year, around 700 cars lined up to donate.

Robin Robb of Granger donated a 20-year old television. It had been sitting in his garage for a year and a half, just waiting to be thrown out.

“I was waiting to dispose of it properly and cheaply,” he said. “It’s a great event.”

In addition to televisions, the Tough Stuff Recycling crew accepted shoes, both reusable and non-reusable with rubber soles, packing peanuts, bubble wrap, egg cartons, old cell phones, and old computer equipment.

Some items were donated to Goodwill for resale, while used computer equipment was sent to an Apple, Inc. facility for responsible recycling within the United States. Non-reusable shoes with rubber soles were sent to Nike Grind in order to be made into material used for athletic courts.