Anthony Goodell, an employee from Regional Computer Recycling & Recovery, stacks old computer monitors, hard drives and printers during the document shredding and electronic recycling event held Saturday at Garden Village Plaza in Cheektowaga. Photo by John Rusac Purchase color photos at www.BeeNews.com The free electronics recycling and document shredding day sponsored by State Sen. William Stachowski on Saturday turned in a huge haul from residents.

More than 1,600 vehicles drove through the lines in the Garden Village Plaza parking lot at French and Union, packing up five truckloads of equipment.

At times three lines of cars ran the length of the parking lot and into the street, but Cheektowaga Police who were also dealing with a local power outage, kept traffic along French Road moving. Crews from Regional Computer Recycling & Recovery and Shred-it, hustled to keep up with the constant flow of vehicles.

“People came to protect their identity and shred their personal documents,” said Stachowski. “And, many more came for the protection of having their computer records and information properly disposed of, which is good for personal security and good for the environment too.”

This was the second event of this type Senator Stachowski endorsed. The one held last month in Hamburg was very successful, with almost 1,000 cars dropping off more than 23,000 pounds of electronic waste.

“The overwhelming success of the first event in Hamburg showed the need for more of these events,” Stachowski said. “And this event in Cheektowaga has been far bigger.”

Area residents brought boxes of paper documents and their old electronic devices, including computer monitors, terminals, printers, circuit boards, video gaming systems, batteries, and televisions to be recycled or destroyed.

“Most computers and electronic devices contain hazardous waste materials such as lead solder, cadmium, or beryllium along with other dangerous elements,” Stachowski said. “This equipment needs to be recycled properly in an environmentally sound fashion, and this event will do exactly that.”