You could call us "collectors for the community." We get paid for our work when we collect enough to make recycling worthwhile. To add value, we disassemble and sort the devices before sending them to processors who specialize in recycling specific materials.
The profitability of metal extraction depends on the grade of the circuit boards and market prices. High-grade boards may need only 1,000 pounds to break even, while low-grade ones could require over 10,000 pounds. Even with the average Kentuckian generating 50 pounds of e-waste yearly, it’s more than most would want to store.
Without a place to take them, these valuable elements and other essential rare earth materials often end up in landfills—and eventually in our water, trees, and food chain.
A portion of the devices we receive are in working condition. They may have been too slow for the previous owners, but these older devices may still have some life in them for people who only need to browse the web or check email. In those cases, we securely wipe all data from the device, repair anything that needs to be repaired, test the hardware, and clean it up before we see if anyone else has a need. If so, whatever proceeds come from a sale should pay for the time it takes to refurbish.
As Bob the Builder says, reduce, reuse, recycle. You can handle the first part, and we’ll take care of the rest.
