The Real Deal

Equit-E-Cycling electronics

by Pete Teske

In the current “green” era it is amazing to think that people might throw away a house phone they bought two years ago, or even a computer that’s less than five years old, without pursuing more environmentally friendly disposal alternatives. It’s especially shocking when you see the amount of space these devices take up in our landfills and the type of pollution that can leak into the environment.

With the need for new, faster and more compatible technology growing every day, Equity Technologies, a Mobile business that already recycled electronics, has decided to expand on that model to help to improve community recycling.

It all began around the first of August 2008 with a marketing campaign to expand a growing local business. That is when Equity Technologies’ leaders found an opportunity for the company knocking loudly.

Some employees went to the owner Cathy Anderson-Giles to ask permission to utilize warehouse space the company already held. Given the go-ahead, a team of employees then began putting together a brochure that described the company and the services they intended to offer.

One point of information and interest to many in the brochure said that Equity Technologies recycled electronics. As employees were out marketing Equity Technologies, they found people saying, ‘This is great, you recycle electronics? Can you take our electronics we have in this closet over here?”

Thus Equit-E-Cycle was born.

“They literally wanted us to haul it off,” said Bill Evatt an Equity Technologies employee.

From that point forward it was clear that Equity Technologies had stumbled across a huge need, and since they were already storing and recycling electronics, their plan began to take shape.

Since they were already partnered with a recycling company that shreds electronics, they decided to expand it to a much larger scale, to include electronics from the general public.

Part of the reason business has been so good lies in the rate at which local universities, colleges and area hospitals go through ever-evolving technology. Equit-E-Cycle has also since teamed up with the city, local junk haulers and Keep Mobile Beautiful.

“We are proud to be a part of the upcoming annual electronic recycling event at the Mobile fairgrounds on Nov. 22, 2008,” Evatt said. “This is a spectacular event offered by Keep Mobile Beautiful.”

In addition to working with those agencies, recycling services are offered to any person or household wishing to dispose of antiquated electronics in a manner that’s environmentally friendly.

“Basically, people bring their electronics. We sort, palletize and weigh them. A truckload is transported to the shredder and separated into original elements. Between 97 and 98 percent of everything that goes in the shredder is reused. The other two to three percent is a dust that is environmentally safe,” Evatt said.

Equit-E-Cycle sent 106,000 pounds to the shredder in the month of September. The first 27,000 pounds took about three weeks to collect, after that the volume exploded. “This is just getting started, so business looks to be building rapidly,” says Bradford.

Another reason Equit-E-Cycle is able to gather such volumes is a result of large electronic stores having a selective policy that regulates what they can and can not take. National chains normally only take old electronics when a customer purchases a new product.

Equity Technologies Corp. isn’t only focused on recycling electronics. Maintaining “green” ideals is important to business owners and employees. When pallets break or cardboard boxes are no longer able to be put to good use, company employees are encouraged to, and do, recycle those commodities as well. Evatt says it all goes along with the Equity mission statement, which asks employees to use resources conservatively.

Equit-E-Cycle a division of Equity Technologies Corp. is the first in Mobile to take all electronics. The service Equit-E-Cycle offers is nearly free with the only charge being a television disposal fee of $20.

This service offers a new way to expand upon the idea of becoming “green” for both businesses and the individual consumer. Electronics that Equit-E-Cycle will accept free of charge include computers, keyboards, cell phones, telephone systems, fax machines, copiers, scanners, printers, VCR’s DVD’s, stereos, radios, surge protectors, cords and cables.

You can drop your used electronics Monday through Friday between the hours of 7 a.m. – 2 p.m. and the first Saturday of each month from 8 a.m. until noon. If you would like to contact Equity Technologies Corp., you may call 415-3823 or visit their Web site at www.equitecycle.com.

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