Some items cluttering the workshops, basements and storage units of Forsyth County residents may be put to better use, thanks to an upcoming recycling event.

On Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Keep Forsyth County Beautiful will host a paint and electronics recycling event at the Cumming Fairgrounds parking lot 3, located just off Castleberry Road. 

“There’s no particular item that we’re looking for, but anything that we can put to a better use rather than put it in a landfill is a win-win to me,” said Tammy Wright, environmental program manager for the county.

A $5 donation is requested for each carload, and certain items will carry an extra fee. Only cash will be accepted. 

There will be a $20 fee for TV sets, and it will cost an additional $10 for each computer monitor.

The cost of paints will depend on the type and amount.

Latex paints will cost $12 for a 5-gallon bucket, $5 for a 2-gallon bucket, $3 for a 1-gallon can and $1 for a 1-quart can or smaller. The fees to recycle oil-based paints are $17 for a 5-gallon bucket, $4 for a 1-gallon can, $2 for a 1-quart can and $1 for a 1-pint can.

There is a $1 fee for each can of spray paint. 

“It has to be in the original container and you can’t mix it,” Wright said. “It doesn’t matter if it’s dried or it’s liquid.”

Wright said the paint will either be recycled for a new product or properly disposed of.

The event is meant to recycle electronics — items like computers, phones and remotes —rather than electric items, such as toaster ovens, large wooden console and projector TVs and refrigerators.

Wright said the vendor working with the county, Atlanta Recycling Solutions, was not able to use electric devices. 

“In order to recycle something, you have to have a vendor for it,” Wright said. “They work with real electronics in the sense that they work with vendors that buy components that are in electronic parts that might not be in things like a toaster or microwave.”

For computers and other items, the hard drive will be destroyed before recycling.

For more information, including a list of acceptable and non-acceptable items, go to KeepForsythCountyBeautiful.org. The group can also be reached through email at kfcb@forsythco.com or by phone at (770) 205-4573.