As a left guard for the Saint Louis High School football team, it's Keli'i Cobb's responsibility to protect the patch of field between his quarterback and the defenders who want to turn his quarterback into pupu.

At yesterday's Aloha 'Aina Earth Day community cleanup and recycling drive, Cobb and his comrades on the defensive unit spent the afternoon trying to protect the planet by helping to collect tons of reusable or recyclable items.

About 200 volunteers took part in the massive operation, including the entire Saint Louis varsity and junior varsity football teams (offensive and defensive units worked in shifts) and Junior ROTC, as well as parents and community members.

"It's good for the team and it's a good way to give back to the community," said Cobb, 17, who collected batteries, gathered donated clothes and loaded green waste into a waiting truck.

The school, which has its own recycling program, sent e-mails to some 39,000 O'ahu accounts to publicize the event.

Head football coach John Hao coordinated the drive. Based on the response — drop-off traffic was heavy through the morning and mid-afternoon — Hao said he hopes to repeat the event at least once a year.

Aloha 'Aina drives are held once a month at various locations statewide. The drives are popular because they bring together a wide variety of companies that specialize in recycling or preparing to recycle specific items that would otherwise take up space in a landfill.

Yesterday, the long, uphill entry road to the campus was lined with a dozen different stations, each designated to collect specific items.

Near the bottom of the hill, volunteers collected oils, telephone books, bicycles, batteries and other smaller items. At the top, beefy football players unloaded green waste, refrigerators, computer equipment, tires and the like.

Proceeds from redeemable plastics, glass, paper and cardboard will go to the football program. Many of the still-usable items — like clothes or bicycles — will either be given to charity, while other items, like computers, will be broken down into their component plastic, glass or metal parts for recycling.

Larry Martin of Refrigerant Recycling Inc. expected to collect about 30 used refrigerators yesterday. The company harvests freon from refrigerators, air-conditioning units and other appliances for resale, thereby keeping the ozone-damaging material from potentially leaking into landfills.

"Refrigerator coils are usually just aluminum, so if they get broken along the way, all that freon goes free and damages the ozone," he said.

Nik Nikolaidis, owner of T&N Computer Recycling Service, was on hand to supervise the intake of some eight tons of computers and computer equipment yesterday. By noon, volunteers had filled several pallets with computer terminals and monitors.

"Plastic, glass, metal, copper from the wiring — all of it can be recycled," Nikolaidis said. "Instead of ending up in a landfill, it goes straight to the recycling stream."

Wahiawa Lions Club president Joe Francher was also on hand to collect used eyeglasses and hearing aids. Earlier this year, the Lions Club sent some 9,000 pairs of glasses to Afghanistan.

By mid-day, Francher had a full box of glasses ready to be cleaned and donated. He said hearing aids would also be cleaned and sent to an audiologist to determine if they can be reused by someone in need.

David Callies, the Benjamin A. Kudo professor of law at the University of Hawai'i, was among hundreds of people who dropped off goods yesterday. Among the items were a disc converter, a pair of speakers, a couple of bags of cushions and other electronic equipment he no longer needs.

"We recycle at home," Callies said. "It's something we like to do and I'm happy to support Saint Louis."