BUSINESS Click to Return Blue Ridge Computer Recycling
Asheville firm keeps computers,
toxins out of landfills.
credit: JOHN FLETCHER
JFLETCHER@CITIZEN-TIMES.COMTiffany Welsh and her husband, Ivan Shingleton, in the background, run Blue Ridge Computer Recycling in Asheville. This stack of computer components will soon be dismantled for recycling.
CITIZEN-TIMES CORRESPONDENT
ASHEVILLE — Walking into the warehouse at Blue Ridge Computer Recycling is like entering a computer morgue. Which is what it is, really.
Computers, monitors and printers are stacked to the ceiling in spots. Cables sprout from cardboard boxes like kudzu vines. A technician disassembles a large piece of equipment under a bright light, diligently dividing the parts into reusable and recyclable piles.
Formerly an accountant and business management consultant, Tiffany Welsh, 29, stumbled on the idea for Blue Ridge Computer Recycling when a client asked her to recycle old computer systems.
She couldn’t find anyone in the area who could help, so she began researching how to recycle computers and their accessories. She wrote a business plan, rented a warehouse on Glendale Avenue and started accepting computer equipment in October.
“Our biggest obstacle is helping people understand why they need to recycle their computers,” Welsh said. “Most people don’t realize how much hazardous material is in computers and don’t know what to do with their systems when they’re no longer viable.”
Some examples of toxic materials in computers include: lead, lead oxide, barium, cadmium, mercury, brominated flame retardants and PVC. The average computer monitor hides up to 7 pounds of lead behind its screen.
The materials aren’t dangerous while they are contained within the equipment’s housing. But once the computer is damaged or discarded, the toxins can leach into the environment. Many of these toxins have been implicated as potential carcinogens and possible causes of miscarriages, birth defects and organ damage in both humans and wildlife, Welsh said.
ABOUT THE BUSINESS
Blue Ridge Computer Recycling Inc. 49 Glendale Ave., Asheville www.brcrecycling.com Tiffany Welsh, owner; her husband, Ivan Shingleton; one part-time employee. Noon to 7 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday. Towers, servers, laptops, keyboards, mice, PC speakers and cables are accepted for free. Monitors, UPS systems, Inkjet printers and scanners, laser printers, fax machines, all-in-one printers accepted for $3-$8, to pay for hazardous recycling costs. “Since we opened in October of 2005, we have saved over 60,000 pounds of computer equipment from going to the landfill,” Tiffany Welsh said. “Absolutely nothing we receive goes into the trash!”
The technicians at Blue Ridge Recycling evaluate each piece of equipment they receive for usefulness. They use Department of Defense software to destroy all hard drive information, then refurbish systems that are reusable. These systems are sold at the warehouse or via eBay at bargain prices, or donated to local charities.
Systems that are not reusable are taken apart and sorted into recyclable raw materials, such as glass, metal and plastic. Circuit boards, monitor tubes, batteries and other parts that contain hazardous materials are shipped to the appropriate facilities for recycling and waste disposal.
“The (Environmental Protection Agency) estimates that only about 11 percent of the 250 million out-of-use computers have been recovered through recycling programs,” Welsh said. “Most are trashed or put into storage.”
“The community is really open to the idea of recycling,” Welsh added. “People are very thankful that we’re doing this. They come in and tell us that they’ve been storing this stuff in their basement for years, and they’re thrilled to get rid of it without throwing it away.”
Blue Ridge Computer Recycling accepts equipment such as laptops and keyboards for free, although they charge to recycle some components, such as the lead-heavy monitors. The charges range from $3 to $8.
The company accepts all equipment for free from a number of nonprofit organizations, including Habitat for Humanity, the Salvation Army and area school systems.
“We feel strongly about using these folks,” said Paul Reeves, assistant manager of Habitat for Humanity’s Homestore.
“We accept a lot of computers that are unusable, and I know if I take a truckload of parts to (Blue Ridge Computer Recycling) that it’s not going to end up in the landfill.”
Blue Ridge Computer Recycling will pick up computer equipment for a $25 fee. The company accept drop-offs anytime during business hours.