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Where did my recycled laptop really go?
October 30, 2007

What do you do with your 2-year old cell phone when you trade up for a new-fangled iphone? According to EPA, Americans retired 130 million cell phones in 2005. 98% of them went straight into trash then landfill (1). So what happens to the cell phones while they sit in the landfill year after year? Toxins like arsenic, beryllium, cadmium, copper and lead from the cell phone eventually leach into the ground and contaminate the ground water.

Then there is your computer that you upgrade every couple of years, not to mention the monitor, the printer, and other modern day electronic devices. Same as cell phone, most of them land in municipal trash piles, off gassing and leaching into the ground water. In 2010, 3 billion units of obsolete electronics will be scrapped in the US alone.

- courtesy of Basel Action Network

Facing this e-waste crisis, what do we do?

We caught up with James Kao, the CEO of GreenCitizen, a Bay Area company with the mission of helping individuals and organizations recycle electronics responsibly. Before GreenCitizen, James was a successful software entrepreneur in the Silicon Valley. What inspired him to redirect his energy to e-waste? “Bill Moyer,” James recalled that fateful night. On July 19th, 2002, PBS aired an episode of NOW with Bill Moyer, which addressed the e-waste crisis. James found out that 15 European countries had adopted the “Basel Ban”, which effectively banned all forms of hazardous waste exports from the wealthiest countries to poorer countries. But the U.S. continued its opposition to the Basel Ban.

Being an inspired entrepreneur, James began to think about a business that would help address this issue while being financially viable. In April 2005, he launched GreenCitizen. Small first, his store was behind a large Bay Area electronics retailer. Gradually, it moved out and opened its own store in Los Altos, then San Francisco. A year ago, I visited their Los Altos store to drop off an old laptop. The process was easy and the staff there were believers of what they were doing. Since then I have made quite a few trips and sent many friends there.

They track every piece of recycled electronic device the moment it comes into the store, through every stage of shipping and sorting, then all the way to the facility where disassembling takes place. That way, if their tag turns up in an irresponsible bulk recycler’s or another country, GreenCitizen can back track where the misstep was. James has combined his passion for solving the e-waste crisis with his background in software database.

How is GreenCitizen different from other electronic recyclers? James informed us that not all recyclers were responsible. Often the most valuable parts – precious metals, are stripped.

- courtesy of Basel Action Network

After a few other steps of removal, the leftover toxic components either end up in our landfill or are exported to developing countries in Asia and Africa. In fact, “50-80% of the electronics waste collected for ‘recycling’ is exported,” James told us. You could tell that he wished GreenCitizen could take that number down to 0.

GreenCitizen has been qualified as an E-Steward by Basel Action Network, a global organization with the mission to prevent the globalization of the toxic chemical crisis, include e-waste. You can check Basel Action Network website to find E-Stewards near you.

We were very impressed with the efficient operations in GreenCitizen’s warehouse. Monitors were tagged individually and packed with great care to prevent lead spill by accidents. Bins and boxes were labeled clearly and stacked neatly. Trucks came in and out on schedule. James has one hard rule for hiring his employees – they have to demonstrate that they are true believers of the mission. With that he has been able to hire bright young people from elite colleges.

Aside from dropping off at their physical stores, you can also find recycling kiosks at various convenient locations. Additionally GreenCitizen picks up from businesses around the Bay Area. In the last two years, 40,000 people and 13,000 businesses have dropped off their obsolete electronics at GreenCitizen. I feel lucky that one of their stores is two miles away from my home. I wish every consumer had that kind of convenience. “We are planning to expand fast,” James answered our anxious question about more stores.

We really hope so.

CindyW at Organicpicks

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(1)from Earthworks, an environmental non-profit organization

Copyright 2007 Organicpicks