For years, CACRC has worked to responsibly recycle electronics while bridging the digital divide across Louisiana. But we also know that convenience plays a major role in whether people recycle at all. By teaming up with EBRPL, we’ve been able to meet the community where they already are, in neighborhood libraries that families visit after work, on weekends, and year-round.
Access matters — access to technology, access to education, and access to sustainable solutions that fit into people’s everyday lives. That belief is at the heart of CACRC’s growing partnership with the East Baton Rouge Parish Library (EBRPL), and in 2025, that partnership reached an exciting milestone: all library branches are now official CACRC electronics recycling collection points.
Turning Libraries into Community Recycling Hubs
Through this partnership, residents can now drop off small electronics, including laptops, tablets, phones, chargers, and accessories, at their local library branch during regular operating hours. No appointments. No special trips downtown. Just one more reason to bring old tech along the next time you’re checking out a book.
The impact has been immediate and measurable. In just the first few months of the program, CACRC collected hundreds of pounds of e-waste through library pickups alone, with early collections totaling 426 pounds and subsequent pickups exceeding 600 pounds. Each device diverted from the landfill represents safer disposal of harmful materials — and in many cases, an opportunity for refurbishment and reuse.
Sustainability That Supports Digital Equity
What makes this partnership especially meaningful is that recycling doesn’t stop at sustainability. Many of the devices collected through CACRC’s programs are refurbished and reintroduced into the community through initiatives like Computers for Louisiana Families and Connecting Louisiana Families. That means donated electronics can ultimately help students, job seekers, seniors, and families gain access to the technology they need to learn, work, and stay connected.
Libraries have long served as gateways to information and opportunity. By expanding their role to include electronics recycling, EBRPL is helping close the loop, supporting environmental responsibility while also strengthening digital access across East Baton Rouge Parish.
Powered by Community
This partnership reflects what’s possible when mission-aligned organizations work together. From National Recycle Day reminders to community events hosted at library branches, CACRC and EBRPL have shown that sustainable change doesn’t require complexity, just collaboration and consistency.
As CACRC continues to grow its impact across Louisiana, partnerships like this one remain central to our work. Making electronics recycling easy, accessible, and community-centered helps protect our environment today while building pathways to opportunity tomorrow.
All East Baton Rouge Parish Library branches are now CACRC e-waste drop-off locations. The next time you visit your library, bring your retired tech along for the ride…and be part of the impact.
