Lane County schools set electronics recycling record with 55,293 pounds

Pleasant Hill Elementary topped Lane County’s 2026 Electronics Recycling Competition by collecting 7,677 pounds of old electronics, helping push the countywide total to a record 55,293 pounds.

The haul came from 46 schools that took part between January 6 and April 24, an Earth Week deadline that gave students, staff and families months to gather items that otherwise would have gone into the trash. Lane County said the total was 13,802 pounds higher than last year’s record of 41,491 pounds from 48 schools, a 33 percent jump that marked the second straight year the competition set a new high. Waste Wise Lane County and NextStep Recycling organized the effort.

The competition has grown from a smaller school challenge into a countywide habit. Jessica Ahrenholtz, executive director of NextStep Recycling, said participation has expanded from 16 schools two years ago to nearly 50 schools in the 2026 cycle. Schools could also earn credit for direct drop-offs at the NextStep Donation Center when donors identified the school they wanted to support, which helped bring in electronics from households across the county, not just from school cleanouts.

Lane County posted division winners across four enrollment categories. In the 0 to 300 student category, Triangle Lake Charter School and Yujin Gakuen Japanese Immersion Elementary School took the top two spots. In the 301 to 500 category, Pleasant Hill Elementary and Siuslaw Middle School led the field. In the 501 to 700 category, Meadow View School and Junction City High School finished first and second. In the 701-plus category, Prairie Mountain School and North Eugene High School earned the top two places.

The prizes gave the competition a practical payoff for schools. First-place winners received a $500 Lane County Waste Management sustainability grant, while second-place schools received $250, a NextStep Reuse Store computer gift certificate and a special recognition award. County officials said the contest has now diverted 134,000 pounds of electronics from the landfill between 2015 and 2024, and the 2025 and 2026 records have pushed that effort into a new phase of visible results for Lane County classrooms and neighborhoods.