It’s time to talk trash. Specifically, how to generate less of it, especially the metals, plastics and other bits and pieces that make up electronic devices.
And what better time than Black Friday? This annual shopper’s bonanza, whether it’s old-school mall time, hitting local small businesses or piling up in front of a screen full of virtual storefronts. And when those doorbuster-deal goodies arrive, consumers virtuously flatten the cardboard boxes and shipping packaging and wheel their bin out for curbside recycling.
Businesses also get in on the action, often taking advantage of year-end discounts to buy desktops, laptops and peripherals in bulk. They, too, fill up the green bins with all the cardboard and paper packaging.
Trouble is, that’s only half the job. Upgrading the flat screen? New printer? Smart microwave? Where does the old one wind up? Tucked away in the home office’s closet, in the basement or in the storage shed behind the office or warehouse. Or more likely that defunct device is chucked into the trash can or the dumpster.
That’s a problem, because according to the United Nations Institute for Training and Research, or UNITAR, e-waste generation is rising five times faster than its recycling.
In 2022, that tonnage would fill enough garbage trucks to circle the globe. That’s some $62 billion in recoverable resources wasted, and anything with a plug or a battery also can be a health and environmental hazard thanks to toxic or hazardous substances such as mercury.
All is not lost. UNITAR adds that e-waste recycling has been rising and is on track to reach 82 million tons by 2030 – a 33% bump from the 2022 figures. In Tennessee, several businesses have sprung up to handle e-recycling specifically or have added those services to their existing roster of recycling and reuse services.
More than old desktop PCs
“Almost everything electronic can technically be recycled,” says Derek French, program director for Electronics Recycling Solutions, a Gallatin-based business designed to provide employment for adults with autism and different disabilities. “But certain items may not be cost-effective to process properly. For instance, older electronics, printers and TVs can require more resources to recycle safely. That may seem inconvenient, but choosing to recycle these items is a small but impactful step toward protecting our environment and reducing e-waste?.”
And e-recycling providers also can ease worries about any personal information attached to their former electronics finding its way into the wrong hands.
“Hard drives are often overlooked for recycling, even though they contain valuable materials,” French adds. “Many people avoid recycling them due to concerns about securely removing personal data. We offer secure data destruction services to ensure personal or business information is safely erased or shredded before recycling, offering peace of mind alongside environmental benefits.”
And it’s a business model that is not only sustainable, but spreadable, according to one Middle Tennessee entrepreneur.
“We’re the nation’s first mid-market e-waste franchise,” says Matthew Rogers, founder of City eWaste in Franklin, which he began as Franklin eWaste five years ago. “We realized this was a problem in every smaller or mid-sized municipality, and we wanted to be the ones to write the playbook. Franklin has been the perfect model for us to learn from, and now we are expanding into other areas, with a sweet spot of populations from 45,000 to a million or so.”
For Rogers and other providers, the business model is simple: If it has a cord or a plug, they’ll take it. That leaves out some things that people think are recyclable e-waste, like light bulbs and household batteries. But the device that battery came out of? Probably so.
“If there’s no market demand for the item, or it doesn’t work, we break it down and sell the components downstream or upstream,” Rogers says. “If it works and there is a market, we rehome it. We can take an older laptop and wipe it securely, then resell it. We’re always following the ‘reduce, reuse, recycle’ model.”
It’s worth noting that e-waste is more than the obvious array of televisions, phones, computers and peripherals. Consider that very costly and now aging vacuum cleaner. Or the scooter that the children loved for a year, then outgrew. That’s all e-waste now. Still there are some devices that do not earn love in the e-recycling world. Chief among them? Printers.
“We see a lot of office waste,” Rogers says. “Cords, monitors and so, so many printers. They have no value at all. No scrap yard is going to take them. We just break them down so we can at least properly dispose of the plastic and glass. It’s a loss since we’re absorbing that labor cost, but that’s part of a business like this.”
“We see printers every day too,” says Ronnie Taylor, a longtime electronics recycler and lead sales representative for TeleTraders, a recycler of used and surplus office technology in Knoxville. “And CRT TVs are getting much harder to dispose of without paying to do so. I bet that’s going to be a major problem in the future.”
For that reason, e-recyclers say they try to do some advance triage when a homeowner or business calls, like asking for photos so they know what they are getting into. Filing cabinets, computers, servers? Probably most or all can be hauled away, a huge time and cost savings for a business looking to clear up space.
Providers have different strategies for residential pickup – some do, some don’t – but community members are usually free to bring things to the business’ physical location. Some, like City eWaste, have a growing library of videos and posts on social media to provide awareness and education.
Affordable fees reduce cost barrier
“Sometimes people cry, they are so happy that we’re taking this stuff; we don’t want to tell anyone no,” Rogers says. “And our fees are reasonable. For something like a flatscreen television we’ll charge a small fee. We don’t want pricing to put a barrier on someone recycling. If it’s something we have to pay to get rid of, like anything with a cathode ray tube made of leaded glass, then we’ll have a charge on that.
“We do charge to accept flat-screen TVs over 32 inches, but we’ll accept smaller ones and all other types of electronics for free,” says Leann Cinaglia, owner of Always Be Recycling, which serves the Chattanooga area from its location in Rossville, Georgia. “We accept old, broken and unwanted electronics from homes and businesses, so we keep them out of the landfill!”
E-recycling has a certain seasonality to it as well. Springtime is emerge-from-the-den-and-clean time, so Rogers and other providers say their inquiries pick up. Same for early fall, when it’s not too hot to get into the attic or wherever and start another seasonal purge.
When it’s the season for giving, what else shows up on their doorstep – besides printers? Hint: Think of time spent untangling. Lots of time.
“Right after Black Friday we get hit with a lot of old smart TVs. After Labor Day it’s holiday lights, because people get new ones,” Rogers says. “They’re almost always greasy and dusty, but we take them! (Cinaglia also says her business also is happy to take those old lights, as well as the various cords and cables used to string them up, for recycling.)
So, if those lights have lost their twinkle, the Dyson no longer gets the dust, or that workhorse PC tower bites the dust, consider e-recycling. Providers say that it’s minimal effort, low cost and very good for the planet.
“Recycling electronics is not just about decluttering; it’s about protecting the environment from harmful materials and supporting sustainable practices,” French says. “By recycling through organizations like Electronics Recycling Solutions, you also contribute to creating meaningful job opportunities for adults with disabilities.”
“Make sure you recycle but also repurpose your electronics,” recommends Taylor. “There are countless small businesses that could purchase these used units, keeping them out of the recycling stream and putting some money back in the homeowner’s or business owner’s pockets.”
“Most of the components that electronics are made of can be recycled. In the United States $8 billion worth of recoverable materials ends up in the landfill every year from electronics,” Cinaglia points out. “Also, for every 100 pounds of electronics that are recycled 150 pounds of greenhouse gasses are kept out of the atmosphere.”