Gackenbach said partnering with Reworld solves that problem.
“Giving us a partner where they can take the volume that we have without having to go … load by load and thinking through how we’re gonna recycle each … load or each pallet is really a game changer for us.”
He said there is a lot of demand for a program like this: shortly after they announced this partnership, the Goodwill stores around Harrisburg have already collected many pallets of old TVs. Stores will have new signs explaining what they can and cannot accept. For instance, they cannot accept refrigerators or washing machines.
Reworld will now recycle whatever electronics Goodwill cannot sell. (Courtesy of Reworld)
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Last year, Goodwill Keystone Area shipped more than 110,000 pounds of electronic waste to be recycled, according to Gackenbach.
Reworld already runs an electronic waste recycling site in Philadelphia. The site takes out batteries and ink or toner, then shreds the rest of the old electronics, explained Gordon Burgoyne, business manager for electronics recycling. He added that magnets and other methods are used to separate different metals and plastics, and the materials can be used for new products.
He said they pay for the recycling with the small amount of money they get from selling the recycled materials, which can vary depending on how much money those materials are worth on the market; and money from electronics manufacturers, which are required to cover the cost of recycling electronic waste under Pennsylvania law.
Reworld will now recycle whatever electronics Goodwill cannot sell. (Courtesy of Reworld)
The ultimate goal is to prevent illegal dumping of electronic waste in rural areas or farmland, said Robert Bylone Jr. president and CEO of the Pennsylvania Recycling Market Center, a nonprofit that works on recycling in Pennsylvania. The center connected Goodwill Keystone Area to Reworld. He said before this partnership, there were only nine sites that would take any electronic waste for free and without being limited to a particular county or community, whereas now there are 42 more.
Covanta rebranded as Reworld this April. Last year, the Philadelphia City Council held a hearing over the city’s use of a controversial incinerator that Covanta, now Reworld, operates in Chester County.
More than $22 million in “Money Match” checks were mailed to nearly 100,000 Pennsylvanians, the treasury said.
In a news release on Thursday, the Pennsylvania Treasury said people should be on the lookout for the checks, which are part of the Pennsylvania Money Match program. Treasurer Stacy Garrity said to cash or deposit the checks “promptly.”
The first Pennsylvania Money Match checks, totaling more than $1.7 million, are now on the way to Pennsylvanians’ mailboxes. Pennsylvania Money Match is a new program that allows Treasury to return certain unclaimed property to rightful owners automatically, which was approved unanimously by the General Assembly and signed by the Governor last year.
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“I want Pennsylvanians to know that this is a real check, it is real money, and it belongs to them,” Garrity said in the news release. “And as always, I still encourage everyone to regularly search for unclaimed property online, as many claims will not qualify for the Money Match process.”
With the mailing of the year’s last batch of checks, more than $50 million will have been returned automatically to Pennsylvanians.
What are Money Match checks?
The program allows the state treasury to automatically return unclaimed property valued up to $500 owned by a single individual. Before the program was created in 2024, residents themselves had to seek out unclaimed property.
“I’m thrilled to continue this program as we work hard to get more money back to its rightful owners,” Garrity said in the news release.
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However, if the property has multiple owners or is valued higher than $500, Pennsylvanians still need to file a claim.
What is unclaimed property?
Unclaimed property includes dormant bank accounts, uncashed checks, forgotten stocks, rebates and insurance policies, among other things. It can also include the contents of abandoned safe deposit boxes.
According to the state treasury, more than one in 10 Pennsylvanians is owed some of the $5 billion in unclaimed property in the treasury’s care, and the average value of a claim is more than $1,000.
Unclaimed property scam
On its website, the state treasury has a warning about scammers using text messages to target potential unclaimed property claimants.
The department “never reaches out to people in regard to any program, including unclaimed property, via unsolicited text messages.”
A special weather statement was issued by the National Weather Service on Friday at 10:06 a.m. until 1 p.m. for Warren, McKean, Elk, Cameron, Clearfield, Cambria and Somerset counties.
“Temperatures will drop below the freezing mark through midday with rain showers quickly changing to snow showers. Blustery winds may dry off roads and other paved surfaces, but any residual water from previous rain or melting snow could freeze up and result in slick spots through the afternoon,” explains the weather service.
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