A community recycling event at the ICCJ in Hillcrest gave Queens residents a welcome opportunity to do something many had been waiting for: Reclaim their space by clearing out homes, basements, closets, and drawers.

Held on Sunday, June 7, in the spacious parking lot of the ICCJ, located centrally on 73rd Avenue, the event allowed residents to drop off e-waste and textiles, including computers, printers, mobile phones, clothing, shoes, towels, and linens. The open-air setting made the process smooth and accessible; cars pulled in easily as volunteers helped sort items, and residents unloaded everything from small electronics to bulky equipment with ease.

The event was hosted in partnership with the LES Ecology Center, the New York City Department of Sanitation, and the New York City Council, with co-sponsorship from Council Member James F. Gennaro, Assemblywoman Nily Rozic, and Senator John Liu.

At first glance, it was a routine collection drive. But as the drop-off tables filled, they became more than a simple staging area; they offered a fascinating look at the objects people once used, saved, forgot about, and eventually decided to leave behind.

Among the more unexpected items was a large, weathered Triplett Model 2432 signal generator, a piece of mid-20th-century testing equipment manufactured by the Triplett Electrical Instrument Co. in Ohio around 1946-1947. Once used by radio repairmen to generate test signals while diagnosing and calibrating equipment, it now serves as a relic of postwar electronic ingenuity. To a collector, it is a piece of history; to someone clearing out a garage, it was simply a heavy, silent box that had finally run out of purpose.

That contrast provided the day’s most striking image. On the same table as the bulky signal generator sat a pair of AirPods. One worker joked about trying to charge them later, but the juxtaposition spoke volumes about how quickly technology evolves. What once required a workbench full of heavy instrumentation now fits in a pocket, yet both items ended up at the same community collection point.

For many participants, the appeal was purely practical. Outdated phones, tangled wires, old printers, and worn-out textiles take up valuable living space. This event offered a convenient, civic-minded way to manage that clutter.

Assemblywoman Nily Rozic noted that this was the “last one of the season,” encouraging residents to participate before the summer break.