Electronics Recycling

Computer maker Dell has announced that it will award $120,000 in a series of $10,000 grants to select U.S. communities, universities and other non-profit groups to conduct computer collection events in the spring of 2004.

"We want to empower communities to run their own collection events and to help educate consumers about the importance of computer reuse and recycling end-of-life options," says Dell’s sustainable business director Pat Nathan. "Single-day events are very effective in raising awareness about recycling and gathering historic computer waste, while interested parties like Dell do their part to develop a more robust national electronics-recycling infrastructure."

The grant awards will be used to organize, promote, stage and recycle computer equipment at events across the U.S. Grantees will also receive guidance from the National Recycling Coalition (NRC) and similar organizations.

Additional information and application forms can be found on-line at www.dell.com/recyclinggrant.

Dell offers consumers a home pick-up recycling option, available at www.dell.com/recycling, for $7.50 a unit, while businesses and public institutions can use Dell’s Asset Recovery Services at www.dell.com/assetrecovery.

"The most effective solutions to building our nation’s electronics recycling and reuse infrastructure will be those that incorporate shared responsibility and public-private partnerships—this pilot project is a creative step in that direction," Kate Krebs, NRC executive director, says.

Hilliard, Ohio-based electronics recycler Redemtech has announced that it will open a West Coast processing facility in January 2004 to serve its Fortune 500 corporate customer base.

Located in Reno, Nev., the 65,000-square-foot facility will be able to process more than 250,000 units yearly, according to a news release from Redemtech, bringing the company’s total processing capacity to more than 1 million pieces of equipment yearly.

Redemtech expects the Reno facility to significantly benefit businesses with West Coast operations, as shipping costs and the freight costs associated with final disposition will be greatly reduced.

"We’re committed to continuously expanding and improving our operations and constantly driving enterprise-wide value to the Fortune 500 business community," Redemtech President Bob Houghton says. "We have already launched international operations in Canada, Europe and the United Kingdom. The Reno plant is a vital next step in realizing that vision."

Redemtech facilities use RedemTRAC, which the company describes as a "comprehensive, Internet-based asset optimization solution" to process unsorted technology streams. According to the company, RedemTRAC "uses an automated decision-making process to appropriate the necessary services and facilitate the most opportunistic disposition path, which helps companies maximize asset values, reduce costs and minimize regulatory liability." The RedemTRAC system also enables customers to establish logistics requirements on-line and to perform comprehensive Web reporting and certified auditing throughout a company’s multiple locations.