How XTreme Green Recycling Helps Communities Tackle Electronic Waste?

E-waste generates a certain amount of schizophrenia among people committed to saving the planet. 

Smartphones, PCs, tablets and other products of the modern computerized world have reduced some resource use – for example, we do not have to rely on paper money all the time and it is possible to transmit information without involving gasoline.

Simultaneously, the pace of change is so quick and rate at which old hardware is dumped so high that there is a growing nervousness over electronic waste.

Close to 42 million tons of e-waste was generated in the world in 2014 and per capita the US, unsurprisingly, was among the leading producers.

Much of this material ends up in landfills. Even a small amount that is “recycled” usually ends up in Ghana, Nigeria, Pakistan, India or China – the reason being, most of our recyclers prefer to export the waste to someone else’s neighborhood than treat it right here. As a result, we never learn about the true cost of our waste.

Asians and Africans who are exposed to used electronic products and disassemble them are at a high risk of toxicity. On top that, disassembly is not efficient recycling because those people do not have the modern e-waste recycling equipment.

Thankfully, the situation is changing for the good and we are proud to be in the forefront of the change.

Operating from our center in Clovis, CA, we help households, businesses and schools recycle their e-waste and make a positive difference to their communities.

Households: We offer low cost pickups to households in over a dozen locations.

Businesses: Our pickups for businesses are free. The e-waste we acquire from businesses is recycled with LEVEL 1 DATA PROTECTION technology, which ensures privacy.

Schools: We pay school districts for the e-waste we collect from them. This money can be used to run educational programs on saving the environment, or other noble purposes.

Once we pick up,  we recycle your e-waste right here in the US — generating more jobs and saving the environment.

3 Reasons Many Businesses Don’t Recycle Old PCs - Electronic Recyclers Fresno

One of Clovis recyclers’ most frequent complaints is that the widespread lack of interest among the city’s business towards recycling their old PCs, laptops and other e-waste. Their concern is not without its foundations.

EPA estimates that 112,000 PCs are discarded in the U.S. everyday. That adds to 41.1 million desktops and laptop computers a year. The volume is huge especially when you consider only 40.40 percent of e-waste is recycled. The rest piles up in landfills.

Why does it happen? Why do not businesses in Clovis, Fresno and elsewhere in America recycle old PCs?

 We think there are three main reasons:

1. Lack of awareness
2. Inconvenience
3. Security concerns

Let’s deal with them one at a time.

Lack of Awareness

It may surprise some of you, but our experience in e-waste recycling in Clovis reveals that many businesses are not aware that they can recycle their old PCs. “Dumping is the sole option” is a prevalent attitude, especially among baby boomers.

Inconvenience

Among the minority of businesses who are aware and who care about the earth, many do not reach out to Clovis recyclers because they think whole business will turn out to be utterly inconvenient.

Security Concerns

Many recyclers do not recycle your e-waste here in America. They ship is off to Asia or Africa. Many businesses harbor doubts about the recycling practices in those places and are concerned about their sensitive data ending up in wrong hands.

How to Deal With This Situation?

Now that we know the main reasons behind the disconnect between businesses and Clovis recyclers, the next problem is: Are we doing something about it?

Here at Xtreme Green Recycling, we definitely are.

• We regularly publish about our services and participate in communicate events to spread awareness.
• We offer free pickups to all Clovis businesses to make things easier.
• And we recycle old PCs here in the US through our Level 1 Data Destruction service which ensures protection for your data.

 What are you waiting for if you run a business in Clovis?

Connect to us and we will recycle your old PCs safely, securely and conveniently.

E-waste Recycling: A Big Reason to Hire Xtreme Green Recycling

I am Marc Marmolejo, the founder and owner of electronic waste recycler, XTreme Green Recycling. My team and I serve households, businesses and schools in Clovis and Fresco. Although we are not the only recycling company in these towns, there are a plenty of things that we do differently.

In this blog I am going to walk you through a big aspect of our business that makes us stand out and share with you why it matters to you as a homeowner or business person concerned about the environment and well-being of your family and community.

 We Do not Export E-Waste to Asia

Many recyclers export your TVs, laptops, computers, air conditioners and other used electronic equipment to Nigeria, Ghana, China, India or Pakistan. We do not do it because it harmful for the people involved in those countries and it damages the environment.

How damaging it is was explained by Barbara Kyle of the Electronics Take Back in an interview with NPR.

She said, “[Well,] what happens with an awful lot of it [e-waste] is it gets very minimally processed here where the recycler might take out some of the most profitable parts to the computers, in particular. And then the rest of it gets shipped overseas, usually to developing countries, a lot of it going to Asia, China in particular. And there, it's really almost virtually dumped.”

Do you know what happens after the e-waste is “virtually dumped?”

Kyle explains, “It's getting into their water systems in an area of China call Guayu(ph). Contaminant levels are so high, they have to truck in all of their water.”

Before anyone brushes off e-waste exports to Asia and Africa as their problem, here is another revelation from the Kyle’s interview, “Very recently, there's been some work tracing some of these toxins back to us.”
                                                                                           
She mentions a study done by an Oregon professor who traced toxins in “some of the children's jewelry that's purchased at, you know, discount stores to lead in solder, lead from electronic waste. So the circle of poison, really, is coming all the way back to us.”

So it is not just their problem. It is already our problem and it is going to get worse if we do not stop exporting e-waste, which is clearly harmful to humans, to Asia and Africa.

So What Is the Solution?

A way to solve the problem is to process electronic waste here in America. That’s what we do.

When we collect your TVs, radios, iPods, refrigerators, cell phones and other electronic stuff we make sure it is recycled in the most responsible manner.

We only work with downstream E - recyclers that are E-steward certified. It means, none of the electronic waste is sent over seas! All is processed here in the States, before being baled and sold for scrap metal. You can have peace of mind knowing all your e-waste is not going to end up in someone else's backyard. We do the right thing 100 percent of the time.

When we started we wanted to create a company that serves Valley residents and their e-waste needs. We stick to our values.

We are a responsible recycler committed to creating a positive difference in our community. Your can support us by letting us collect your e-waste.

It will not only be good for our company, but it will also keep your children, family and other loved ones out of the harm’s way.

You do not want toxins harming them 10, 20 or 30 years from now, do you? We can ensure your family’s well being by disposing of your electronic waste responsibly.