Q&A: Let’s talk about Colorado’s e-waste problem
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AURORA — In the time that it takes to read this sentence, humans will generate over seven tons of electronic waste. That’s equivalent to 5,040 smartphones or 3,111 laptops.
That number with every passing second.
In 2023, Colorado diverted almost 12,000 tons of electronics from landfills, a sharp decline from the roughly 17,000 tons of electronics the state diverted in 2018.
To understand the effects of electronic waste and what recyclers in Colorado are doing about it, Rocky Mountain PBS interviewed Nidal Allis, the vice president of PedalPoint LifeCycle Solutions, an electronics recycling company.
Allis partners frequently with the City of Aurora to host e-recycling events in the city. The conversation took place on-site at PedalPoint during an electronic recycling event.
This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
Rocky Mountain PBS: Since you started in 2006, have you seen an increase in electronic waste with the rise of emerging technologies?
Nidal Allis: When I first started the company, upgraded technology wasn’t coming out as fast as it is now. We are in this technological age where we have constant upgrades. With every upgrade, there’s a trail of electronic waste. What I’ve noticed is with the constant rise of new tech, old tech is quickly becoming disposable.
Not to mention, new tech doesn’t always mean good tech. Flat panel TVs and flat LCD monitors don’t last nearly as long as CRT [cathode-ray tube] TVs or CRT monitors. Everything is smaller today and everything is faster but that technology doesn’t last nearly as long as older ones.
RMPBS: Do you think the consumer has a role in constant upgrades?
NA: Of course, people want the latest and greatest. But that’s where we come in. This want for upgrading allows us an opportunity to refurbish the [electronics] people don’t want. We’re very much into salvaging, refurbishing and remarketing second-hand electronic equipment. This allows people to buy electronics that they might not be able to afford, and it’s not just individuals. Businesses and small team companies might not be able to afford brand-new servers and equipment for their infrastructures. We can help with that with our refurbished equipment.
RMPBS: So your goal is to refurbish first? How do you differentiate between an electronic that can be refurbished versus something that can be recycled?
NA: We try to refurbish all we can, and we will recycle if we can’t. That’s our mindset: reuse before we recycle. To determine if something can be refurbished we have to make sure that it’s worth the time and effort. What types of components are there? Is it still relevant technology to the current market? We refurbish a lot of phones and laptops, but things like CRT monitors for example, don’t make as much sense to refurbish.
When we refurbish things, we’ll put them back on the market at some point, similar to Back Market, if you’re familiar with that. We’ll put it on eBay, sell it to other businesses, and all of that.
So we consider all these things and if it’s not above that cut line, we’ll recycle, which we do in-house as well.
RMPBS: What does that process look like?
NA: We’ll first sort through the equipment, and put it in its own categories. We decide if we want to refurbish or recycle it. If recycled, the equipment will be broken down and disassembled. For both recycling or refurbishing, we will clear the data.
There are always certain components that aren’t old and can still be used so we might use those and “Frankenstein” new machines for our refurbishing efforts.
Anything else that’s below the cut line will be fully recycled and kept out of the landfill. It ends up in a shredder or refinery to turn into metal, copper and all different types of materials to build equipment.
RMPBS: I want to focus on one thing you just said: data destruction. Why is that important to consider when you’re recycling electronics?
NA: There are so many electronics that have data storage and it’s not just computers and cellphones. These electronics might have your private data, your credit card information, and maybe some private pictures - you don’t want these to be released publicly. Businesses have to operate under compliance, the medical industry has HIPAA concerns and finance has [Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard].
You can’t just dump your electronics and expect your data to be safe.
There are multiple methods of data destruction. We can erase data through software. We can shred the physical data storage system. We do everything that’s approved by the government when it comes to methods of data destruction. That’s why we can give you a certificate of destruction so you have that peace of mind.
RMPBS: One of the interesting things about e-recycling is that you have to pay. Why is that?
NA: That’s a big point of contention that we have actually. People always ask, “Why do we have to pay to drop off electronics?” First, we need to pay for the labor. We need to keep the lights on. I want to make sure people know that our team of 20 here put a lot of resources into properly disposing of the electronics.
We also have to handle hazardous materials to make sure that those toxins when broken down from recycling don’t contaminate the environment.
As I mentioned before, we give you a certificate of destruction to prove that we took the necessary steps to make sure your data is secured. [Morgan Stanley] learned this the hard way actually. This is all public information, but a couple of years ago, the firm was trying to save a couple of bucks and hired a moving company to take care of their e-waste instead of going to an electronic recycler, and this company decided to sell their equipment on public auctions without destroying the data.
This resulted in millions of client data being released publicly. They had to go through the fallout from that and paid millions of dollars as a result of it. Instead of paying a couple thousand bucks initially, they ended up losing millions.
There are so many moving parts that go behind properly and responsibly recycling people’s electronics.
RMPBS: Why should people recycle electronics in the first place?
NA: Well, it’s all ugly. What I mean by that is that people don’t want to talk about it because the effects of e-waste are very real. In Colorado, it’s illegal to dump your electronics in the trash. There are a lot of toxins that can come from electronics and that’s considered hazardous waste if it’s broken, sitting outside in the environment. There are 62 million metric tons of e-waste produced every year.
These toxins can seep into the soil harming our agriculture, poison our drinking water and when burned, release toxins into the air for us to breathe. It affects us directly.
RMPBS: You’ve been partnering with the City of Aurora and other cities, hosting these recycling events where residents can recycle electronics for cheaper. Why do you continue to do this?
NA: It’s personal for me because I’m an Aurora homeboy. I went to school in Aurora, my kids are now in the school system here so I’ve developed a deep relationship with the city. I’ve been a partner of the city for over a decade. It’s obviously a business at the end of the day but we do these year-round events with them because there’s an effort to become a clean, green, sustainable state. I take that very seriously.
These events give people opportunities to come at their convenience and pay a little less to recycle their electronics. We average about 150 to 200 cars a day during these events which is always good to see.
Everyone should be a part of this. We’re doing all the dirty work, the heavy lifting. We just ask people to do their part and participate so that we create a healthy environment for our children.
Type of story: Q&A
An interview to provide a single perspective, edited for clarity and obvious falsehoods.
An interview to provide a single perspective, edited for clarity and obvious falsehoods.
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