GreenGo expanding its operations
Posted By IAN MCINROY
Posted 1 year ago
Feeling guilty about tossing that old keyboard or computer monitor in the trash?
You should.
There's an environmentally-friendly way to deal with old electronic equipment, instead of filling up the landfill.
Barrie-based GreenGo Recycling Solutions has been open since 2007, and recently expanded its operation to include a warehouse to serve the public and local industry.
The company's most popular service is free electronic waste (e-waste) drop-off and collection, according to GreenGo Recycling Solutions owner Rudy Westerneng.
Since opening the e-waste service in May, the company has handled about 70 tonnes of waste.
"That's almost 20 per cent of the annually generated e-waste in Barrie, which means I'm only 80 per cent short of my goal," laughed Westerneng, standing inside the company's Morrow Road facility amid piles of old computers and electronic equipment destined for recycling.
"I have yet to meet someone who wasn't interested in recycling electronics," he said.
"Generally, it seems that people have been holding onto their e-waste, not knowing what to do with it, and are happy to finally have a simple solution," Westerneng added.
Anything with a cord, battery or circuit board in it, including household appliances and industrial equipment, is accepted.
The electronics GreenGo collects are handled under Ontario Electroinic Stewardship. The material gets repackaged at the Barrie location and is then shipped to a consolidation centre.
"From there, it goes to approved OES processors for physical recycling which may include sorting, dismantling, shredding and refining processes. All other materials, such as household appliances and metals, go to local smelters for processing," Westerneng said.
"We assist organizations all over North America with their e-waste procedures and processes. We are passionate about recycling and love to share our know-how with other like minded organizations."
Westerneng said he wants to work towards a complete "domestic solution" to the electronic waste issue.
"We are proud to say that all of the scrap or waste materials we collect is 100 per cent downstream auditable, processed by local recyclers who share the same values," he said.
GreenGo will also assist with e-waste drives for a variety of organizations and will take care of the collection, transport, and processing for the event. It also offers secure data destruction services.
The City of Barrie also has an e-waste recycling service available at the landfill, located in the waste segregation area.
It accepts business-oriented e-waste comprised of things like computers, monitors, photo copiers, scanners and fax machines, said Sandy Coulter, manager of environmental operations.
"We provide a service, and encourage residents to use it, for people to separate their waste: e-waste, corrugated cardboard, scrap metal, tires, yard waste, hazardous waste and household recycling. Whatever is left over, we'll accept as garbage," he said.
Last year, 123 metric tonnes of e-waste was collected at the Barrie landfill.
To round out his passion for recycling, Westerneng is teaching a course at Georgian College in September called "recychology."
"We're educating people on the history, technique and technology of the recycling industry, with a strong focus on culture and ideology," he said.
"If everyone knew more about recycling, everyone would recycle more. Our goal is to educate, train, and push the industry forward in a sustainable direction," Westerneng said.
For more information about GreenGo Recycling Solutions, visit www.greengosolutions.com.
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What is e-waste?
Computers, monitors, photo copiers, scanners, fax machines, televisions, radios
What is waste electronic and electrical equipment (WEEE)?
Includes e-waste as well as stoves, refrigerators, washers, dryers, small appliances etc.
Tonnage of WEEE collected at Barrie landfill
123 metric tonnes was collected in 2008
119 metric tonnes was collected in 2007
71 metric tonnes was collected in 2006
