More of this, please! More #recycling, #LessMining!

More than 600K pounds of #ElectronicWaste (#EWaste) has been diverted from landfills thanks to #Colorado teenagers
Over the past 12 years, #CañonCity High School students have prepped and delivered mostly electronic waste to 3R Technology Solutions

by Sue McMillin
Feb 14, 2024

CAÑON CITY — "More than 600,000 pounds of mostly electronic waste has been diverted from landfills over the past 12 years by the students who run #TigerRecycling at Cañon City High School.
To be precise: 623,702 pounds of #laptops, dismantled #desktops, #cellphones, #printers, #televisions, and the assorted detritus of outdated, broken, waterlogged or unwanted gear has been prepped by students and delivered to 3R Technology Solutions, according to 3R CEO Pete Mikulin, who says they track every pound that comes through the doors.

"Amid the haul were assorted #SmallAppliances — #mixers, #SewingMachines, #toasters — and #batteries and #cords that students disassemble or sort. Tiger Recycling and 3R, its primary vendor, take just about anything that plugs in or runs on batteries except for large appliances such as washers and dryers.

"While all this stuff is getting #reused or #repurposed, the students learn how to take things apart, safely handle potentially #HazardousWaste, identify and sort materials (such as clean or dirty #aluminum, #steel and #plastic), prepare items for shipping, fill out bills of lading, and take in and weigh items from customers.

"This student-run business is unique in a couple of other ways: Tiger Recycling is certified for recycling by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, and it earns money.

"'That program, if you look at it as a whole, these kids learn a lot of skills,' Mikulin said. 'They take ownership in it every year. They don’t look at it as just a class, they look at it as a company. It is registered with the state of #Colorado, and it abides by all the state’s laws and rules for recycling.
'They are practicing #sustainability, diverting materials from the #landfills. It’s been pretty cool all these years.'

"He calls Tiger Recycling the 'showcase' of school recycling programs and credits program coordinator Ken Cline with bringing it from the brink of collapse into a self-sustaining business.

"Cline has about 20 students per quarter spread over five class periods, and summer school classes. It’s tough to have more than five students at a time dismantling equipment, even though Tiger Recycling moved into its own warehouse space about five years ago, he said.

"They also have three sheds where they can store items awaiting packaging or shipping.

Shelves inside the classroom hold huge bins labeled for every conceivable component of computers and TVs, and a stack of desktop computers is piled against one wall, awaiting disassembly.

"As students arrive on a recent Tuesday afternoon, Cline directs them to tasks and within seconds gloves are on and screwdrivers turning. One student asks for time to work on other classwork and Cline gives him a nod.

"The class is part of the school’s Career Technical Education program, and participants earn general education credits.

"He stays flexible with the students and tries to address their needs. Sometimes that means providing math tutoring; last year he had a class of four repeat students who wanted to delve deeper into electronics so Cline accommodated that.
He also mentors students working on required capstone projects, including a couple who used recycled computer parts to build new computers.

"The program brings in an average of $5,000 a year, Cline said. The money is handled by the high school, which then gives Tiger Recycling a budget for items such as tools, safety glasses, work gloves and field trips for students, said Cline, who noted that they’ve never spent more on those things than they’ve brought in."

https://coloradosun.com/2024/02/14/electronic-waste-recycling-canon-city-high/