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FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
FROM:
Northeast Surplus & Materials, LLC
440
Shonnard Street
Syracuse, NY 13204
CONTACT:
Jeff Ege (315) 727-9380
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NORTHEAST SURPLUS &
MATERIALS, LLC
DEVELOPS GROUNDBREAKING CIRCUIT
BOARD RECYCLING SYSTEM
First-ever system of its type
safely and efficiently recovers reusable
parts
and valuable metals from
discarded circuit boards
Syracuse,
NY
electronics recycler answers U.N.
call
for toxic electronics waste
reduction solutions
SYRACUSE, N.Y. March 30, 2004
Northeast
Surplus & Materials, LLC, a Syracuse based Central
New York electronics recycler, has announced the
completion of work on a revolutionary new circuit board
recycling
system.
The
system’s development comes at a time when communities
across the country are scrambling to figure out what to
do about the huge growth of electronics trash that is
causing health problems and polluting the environment.
The recent release of a U.N. study outlining the need
for member countries to take actions to slow the tide of
toxic electronic devices entering landfills worldwide
has further brought the issue to the forefront, both
domestically and
internationally.
The
new patent-pending system efficiently and safely
recovers reusable parts and valuable metals from
discarded circuit boards. According to Jim Moltion,
Northeast president, the new environmentally friendly,
one-operator circuit board “depopulator” system removes
over 300,000 parts a week during a normal 40-hour
workweek
The new
system uses very little energy and leaving virtually
nothing to go into landfills.“At the end of the system’s
two combined processes, virtually northing is left of
the computer or electronic device to go into the waste
stream,” Moltion said. “Everything is consumed or made
into reusable resources. It’s important that as few of
these electronic items make it into our landfills as
possible because many contain very toxic
materials.
”Other
U.S. electronics recyclers take a more labor-intensive
approach, using hotplates and hair dryers to separate
these parts, Moltion said. “That’s an expensive, messy
process that unnecessarily exposes workers to toxic
fumes,” Moltion
said.
The
development of the system was made possible through the
New York State Energy Resource Development Authority
(NYSERDA) in 2000 as part of its Environmental Products
Development Program, which assists in the development of
products and systems designed to treat, process, or
reuse waste products using less energy in the process.
NYSERDA provided funding in the amount of more than
$230,000, with the overall project totaling more than
$460,000.
“NYSERDA
has a long-standing role in developing waste and
pollution reduction projects,” said Peter R. Smith,
NYSERDA president. “These programs are beneficial to
private industry, as well as communities across the
state. NYSERDA’s funding programs can help companies
like Northeast Surplus & Materials to develop and
market energy-efficient recycling technologies designed
to address serious waste management
problems.”
The company
is currently working out details with a few of the
country’s largest computer manufacturers for them to buy systems
from Northeast to recover usable circuit board
components using the new system, according to Moltion.
All the raw metals recovered from the process are sold
to smelters for reuse in making such items as new
electronics and
jewelry.
Investment
is currently being sought for the commercial-ready
system, and the company has plans to sell or license it
to others in the worldwide recycling industry, Moltion
said.The National Safety Council estimates that over 400
million computers will be abandoned in 2004 and that the
number will grow steadily over the next few years. To
date, only about 10% of theses will be recycled. The
rest will either be put into landfills or packed into
ocean containers and shipped overseas where the
recycling regulations aren’t as strict as those of this
country. Also, Recycling operations there are permitted
to use such pollutant methods as bathing circuit boards
in acid to remove gold and other metals before stripping
them off by hand, according to
Moltion.
The
types of electronic equipment Northeast recycles
include: monitors, computers, printers, fax machines,
typewriters, copy machines, and other various home
electronics. A complete list of recyclable items can be
found at the company Web site, located at: www.northeast-surplus.com, along with an online
quote
form.
Because
of the work involved in electronics recycling, the
company charges a small fee for its services. “It’s a
small price to pay to help save the environment and
create jobs for the community, however,” Moltion said.
But Northeast does all it can to make using its services
as easy and painless as possible, Moltion said. The
company will come to a customer’s location to pick items
up, if necessary.
About Northeast Surplus
& Materials, LLC
Northeast Surplus &
Materials, LLC, is a Syracuse-based Central New York
electronics recycler that has been in business since
1996. For more information, call (315) 476-4025
or
visit www.northeast-surplus.com.
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