International firm Intechra LLC works hard at making sure old computers don’t clutter up landfills and allow toxic chemicals to seep into the earth. The company specialises in recycling and remanufacturing various types of electronics, including laptops, CPUs, and monitors. Based in Mississippi, Intechra also has a facility in Windsor, Canada which receives as many as six lorries full of old computers every day.
Old computers may be the key phrase, as some even have disk drives installed, a definite flashback to the CPUs of yesteryear.
Kevin Lindsay, director of operations told Corrant news: “We even get mainframes from the 1970s with tape reels, Austin Powers-type things.”
Because technology is updated faster than the speed of light, people are constantly upgrading their systems. This is particularly true with businesses, many of which replace outdated systems every two to four years. As one might guess, this makes electronic waste the fastest growing item in the solid waste industry. However, computers contain toxic materials that can harm the environment and should be treated as hazardous waste. According to Basel Action Network, a not-for-profit environmental group, Intechra is one of the few companies that is applauded for its recycling practices.
“Unlike an aluminum can, e-waste has many types of plastic, metal and components that are toxic and hard to separate. The heavy glass monitors are full of lead. Even the cabling - you might think it’s benign, but when you melt those wires at low temperatures, you create new toxins,” said Sarah Westervelt, project coordinator of. “Intechra is one of the companies that meets our responsible recycling criteria.”
For more information, visit: intechra.com
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