Getting Rid of it the Right Way · Apr 11 by Kurt Peterson
Everyone has that old computer, telephone, or boob tube laying around. And by February 17, 2009 that analog boob tube of yours will be obsolete if you subscribe to the rabbit ears approach of watching TV (like myself). So unless you plan to get cable or satellite or stop watching TV altogether (like myself), many in the coming year will be upgrading to a shiny, new flatscreen with a digital tuner. But what happens to all those obsolete TV’s, cell phones, and calculators you ask?
Unfortunately, many go to the landfill. And even more unfortunately, according to National Geographic magazine many “recycling” companies accept this e-waste, only to ship it to an under-developed nation like Ghana where it can be disposed of without the environmental regulations of the US and elsewhere.
For us at Blue Ridge, we recently faced a similar problem. After just replacing our Point of Sale computer system, we had, quite literally, at least two tons of outdated computers, monitors, and printers. But in reading the National Geographic article, I discovered a little company based in Tampa, Florida called Creative Recycling Systems. They not only accept this e-waste free of charge, but they’re able to re-purpose the equipment still in working order and recycle the rest. In turn, they make a tidy profit on the broken down materials by re-selling it back to electronics manufacturers who can then avoid using virgin materials.
Sounded pretty good to me . . . so with Don, our local IT guru, and all of our stores, we’ve shipped a huge load of old e-waste off to a facility where, hopefully, it will exit the waste stream and return to us in the form of shiny, new computers, cell phones, and—yes—TVs.
If the thought of your old e-junk ending up in an out-of-the-way town in India pisses you off, click here to learn more. But you’ll probably still be pissed.
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I will be teaching a 16 hour Wilderness First Aid course on May 3rd and 4th. If anyone is interested in attending please email me at btyler@1stresponsetraining.net or call 804-868-9134. Seating is limited and first come first serve. Thank you.
— Brian Tyler Apr 14 #