Tampa company promotes e

TAMPA, Fla. — A Tampa-based electronics recycling company is partnering with local organizations to promote September as e-recycling month and encourage people to give old technology a second life.

eSmart Recycling in Tampa accepts a wide range of used electronics and devices, from laptops, monitors and headphones, to toys and household items. Employees sort, test, wipe and break down items so they can be reused, resold or donated.

“Anything with a plug switch or battery, we will take,” said Logan Melton, test bench coordinator at eSmart Recycling.

Melton said computers, tablets and other devices go through a data-wiping process before going on to their second-life.

“They go through this process if it’s for a customer, if it’s for us selling something, if it’s for us giving back to the community, they all need to be wiped,” Melton said.

Tony Selvaggio founded eSmart Recycling in 2014 after moving from Venezuela. He said many people have not learned the effect old electronics can have when they are thrown away instead of recycled.

“I think that most people don’t fully understand the impact that it’s behind old technology because it’s relatively new, so we’re used to hoarding it, and now we’re starting to get to a point where it’s starting to hit our waste streams,” Selvaggio said.

Selvaggio said e-waste can build up in landfills and may contaminate water supplies if it is not handled correctly. He said 80% of technology is thrown away instead of recycled, while the U.S. produces more than 60 million tons of electronics every year.

eSmart Recycling has partnered with Tampa Bay Tech and the Digital Education Foundation to help raise awareness about e-recycling.

“The partnership with the Digital Education Foundation and the partnership with somebody like TBT plays such an important role to create a solution,” Selvaggio said. “Because you can’t tackle the problem on your own.”

The company also connects refurbished technology with local children. Melton said about half of the laptops in good enough condition at the warehouse will end up in the hands of children.

The Digital Education Foundation says roughly 85,000 households in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties do not have internet access, and that donated technology can help close the digital divide.

For more information about e-recycling and how to get rid of old electronics, click here.