Our e-waste has a destination
Ok…so if you’ve read my previous posts, you know that our company philosophy is to reuse as much of the collected equipment as possible. Whatever has resale value will be resold via our ebay store, directly to our facebook fans/twitter followers or indirectly through our downstream partners. Whatever has no value is scrap and needs a destination. Until last week, we didn’t have a destination - so we held on to it in our storage facility.
As I’ve mentioned, I want total transparency in our business so that you can understand how, and why, we make certain decisions. With that being said, I can’t tell you where the scrap is going. Not that I don’t want to. But I’m being restricted from publicizing the relationships due to “exclusivity” clauses in a specific contract. What I can say is this - our corporate goals are always to make the collection of e-waste simple and inexpensive, make sure that the equipment is being dealt with ethically and responsibly and to give back to our local communities. The arrangement that we have in place right now hits the last two points.
Our plans are to deliver the “scrap” to a non-profit organization whose mission is to create work opportunities for people in need. This organization has a contract in place with a large computer manufacturer/distributor (I don’t know industry stats but I would guess that they’re probably the largest) where the non-profit will be the front end for the manufacturer’s e-waste recycling program. Simplified, the manufacturer plans to say that you don’t need to ship your e-waste to them - the non-profit is the local drop-off point so take your stuff directly to them. The manufacturer has a downstream relationship with a recycler/processing company and the non-profit delivers all e-waste directly to the recycler. Everyone here is legit and is following the highest standards (the manufacturer would never risk aligning themselves with a shady player).
The problem is that the manufacturer will not let anyone jump on the bandwagon - all for them, none for you. This e-waste recycling program is just for them to promote and no one is allowed to say that they work with the non-profit. I can take my e-waste to the non-profit - they won’t turn it away. I’m just not allowed to publicize that I have any working relationship with them or they will be in breach of contract. The manufacturer’s lawyers provide little leeway for the non-profit to work outside of the exclusive relationship. Gotta love big business!! The sad part is that our business model can greatly help the non-profit. Cross-promotions between us would increase the volume that we bring in and, even better, really help them meet their mission of creating working opportunities (more volume means more people needed to work on the equipment).
The bottom line is that we have a reliable, ethical and responsible downstream outlet for the e-waste and we’re giving back. I just can’t publicize it. But, if you really want to know, I’m sure I can tell you who it is if you contact me. Feel free to reach out to me via info@4thbin.com
-md
