Back to School Is in the Air at AVAY

There’s something about the first week of August that makes it feel like summer is suddenly moving way too fast.

The backpacks are coming out, school supply lists are being checked (and checked again), and parents are trying to figure out where the summer went. Around AVAY, you can feel it too. Several of our employees are getting their kids ready to head back to school, and there’s a little extra excitement in the air as everyone gets ready for a new school year.

Last weekend was Ohio’s Sales Tax Holiday, which gave families a chance to save on some of those back-to-school essentials. Qualifying clothing priced at $75 or less per item and school supplies and instructional materials priced at $20 or less per item were exempt from sales tax.

For many families, that meant a busy weekend of shopping for things like backpacks, shoes, notebooks, pencils, folders, calculators, lunch boxes, and all the other things that somehow seem to multiply on a school supply list. 😄

But back-to-school season isn't only about buying new things. It's also a pretty good excuse to clean out the old ones.

Maybe your child got a new laptop and the old one is sitting in a closet.

Maybe there's a drawer full of chargers for phones you haven't owned in five years.

Maybe that old printer, keyboard, tablet, game console, or collection of tangled cables has been waiting for someone to figure out what to do with it.

Before throwing those items in the trash, check whether they can be recycled.

♻️ Old laptops and desktop computers♻️ Tablets and e-readers♻️ Cell phones♻️ Printers♻️ Keyboards and computer mice♻️ Chargers, cords, and cables♻️ Headphones and speakers♻️ Calculators♻️ Monitors and other electronics

And don't forget about the other things you may have accumulated while getting organized:

📦 Cardboard shipping boxes

📄 Paper and old notebooks

🥤 Plastic bottles

🥫 Aluminum cans

🍾 Glass bottles and jars

Just remember that different materials belong in different recycling programs, and electronics shouldn't simply go in your household trash.

Have electronics sitting around that you no longer need for school?

Bring them to AVAY! ♻️

We accept a wide range of electronics for recycling, and our team can help make sure they are handled responsibly.

Not sure if we accept a particular item? Check the accepted items list on our website before you load up the car. It's an easy way to find out what we can take and what may need to go somewhere else.

Here's another interesting back-to-school fact:

Students around the world don't all start school at the same time.

Here in Ohio, we're getting ready for the familiar August/September routine. In many European countries, students return later in August or September, depending on the country and region.

And in Japan, the school year begins in April, not August or September. The start of the school year coincides with spring and cherry blossom season, so the image of children beginning a new school year surrounded by cherry blossoms is a very different version of "back to school" than what we're used to seeing here.

One thing is the same everywhere, though: a new school year means a fresh start.

New teachers. New classes. New friends. New goals. And, for parents, hopefully a little more organization. 😉

At AVAY, we spend every day working with electronics that might otherwise become waste. We recover and recycle valuable materials, refurbish equipment when possible, and help keep electronics in use instead of sending them straight to a landfill.

So as you're getting ready for another school year, take a look around the house before you finish that closet clean-out.

You might be surprised by how many things have one more useful life left in them.

Have old electronics taking up space? Bring them to AVAY and give them a better destination. ♻️

From all of us at AVAY, good luck to all the students heading back to class, and to all the parents, teachers, school staff, and bus drivers getting ready for another busy year.

Here's to a great school year!