“Tech trash” is all the rage in American garbage. Millions of computers and peripherals are sent to landfill annually, creating a window for e-waste entrepreneurs.
E-waste might not be as popular as everyday rubbish but it tends to be more valuable. Electronic components include various precious metals, including copper, and the once-ignored plastic cases are even a feasible source of recyclable material.
Monitex in Grand Prairie, Texas is one of several American companies that work in the up and coming tech trash industry. As you might guess, Monitex is a company that focuses mainly on computer monitors, many of which are tossed out long before the end of its lifecycle.
According to Monitex President Ferris Segovia, “A ‘cathode ray tube’, or CRT, has an average lifetime of more than fifteen years, yet most computers are junked in less than five years.”
CRTs can also be found in other e-waste, such as TVs. In fact, a large portion of Monitex’s business is dedicated to locating CRTs that can be a part of the company’s resale and reuse scheme. Many CRTs come from “cheap television sets sold in Asia, Africa and South America”. If the CRT can be salvaged, Monitex will salvage it. Even if a CRT isn’t reusable, Monitex tries hard to ensure that no component - from any e-waste - is landfilled.
“It’s hard to claim 100 percent, but we’re very close,” he said.
Although salvaging e-waste sounds nearly as high tech as manufacturing it, Mr. Segovia says it isn’t true. “For all the technical sophistication of the material, the process is astonishingly low-tech. Human eyes and hands (aided by a few power tools) are still the best way to evaluate the material and take it apart,” Mr. Segovia said.
To learn more, visit: monitexllc.com
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