Northeast Surplus and Materials Syracuse, NY responsible recycling + US jobs www.northeastrecycle.com
If it plugs in, lights up, makes a sound
or goes around, we recycle it.
About Us
We utilize our de-manufacturing and recycling processes to minimize, reduce and finally eliminate the environmental impact caused by the disposal of electronic equipment. This effort will further reduce the by-products and subordinate materials that reach our landfills. We provide recycling programs that reflect our environmental responsibility.
If it plugs in, makes a sound, light up or goes around – We Want It! Computers and electronics contain potentially hazardous materials…. Lead, Cadmium, Lithium and others, and with extended exposure to the effects of air or burial in landfills – become toxic compounds and part of our environment. We safely recycle the computer and electronic components, creating reuse opportunities in tomorrows’ products without the release of any potentially hazardous materials to the environment. We work for you and our environment!
Company Profile Northeast Surplus & Materials, LLC was formed in response to a perceived need to reduce the large amount of electronic waste (e-waste) that was finding its way into the nation’s landfills. This electronic waste can be the source of toxic materials that can leach into the environment given enough time. Not only did we want to reduce the e-waste, but we also intended to recoup valuable parts and component precious metals at the same time.
Less than .3% of the products we receive for recycling actually go into the landfills. Thus, an average truckload of 25,000 pounds of e-waste will yield no more than 75 pounds of inert, clean landfill waste.
The toxic materials that typically are found in electronic devices are: lead in the solder that is used, plus lead that is part of the Monitor’s CRT shielding (an average computer and monitor will contain about 8 pounds of lead collectively), lithium in the on-board CMOS battery, mercury in switches and relays, plus cadmium, chromium, selenium, indium and other trace elements that comprise much of the electronic integrated devices. The actual amounts of these elements are fairly low, but collectively when examined on a national scale, can result in thousands of pounds of these potentially toxic materials being land filled on a daily basis.
There are many so-called ‘recyclers’ who are accepting this e-waste and simply shipping it to third world countries. This PBS Special is just a small glimpse into the underground world of improper e-waste disposal: “Ghana: Digital Dumping Ground” . This e-waste still generates the potential toxicity no matter where it is land filled. Simultaneously, our country is also shipping tons of precious metals overseas, where they are recovered and sold back to us at inflated prices.
At Northeast Surplus & Materials we perform the entire recycling processes here in Syracuse, not only saving the environment, saving our precious metals, but creating local jobs at the same time. Whereas computer manufacturers use the latest technology and assembly line techniques to build these units, we have to disassemble them, sort and identify the components manually. Our patented process eliminates a great deal of the labor involved in disassembling, allowing us to take the time to manually identify and properly reuse or recycle materials properly. All of this is done in a manner that limits emission of and exposure to the to toxins that can be released in the disassembly process.
The green grants contest is designed to give a boost to the green economy. We want to draw attention to projects that are doing a great job of combining social justice with environmental responsibility, and reward them with a grant toward their work.
What kind of groups are eligible?
If the project is good for both people and the planet and a $1,000 or $2,500 grant could make a difference to them – you should nominate the group. The group is not required to be a nonprofit organization or have 501c(3) status.
Will you be contacting my nominee?
If your nominee makes it into our top-ten, we will contact them to let them know. We'll work with the ten nominees to get a full description of their projects on our Web site for the round of top-ten voting.
What kind of projects are you talking about?
Here are some examples: Maybe a local school could use a green-grant for its organic garden project. Maybe a local pro-bicycling non-profit organization wants to extend its reach into the inner city. Maybe a local solar-installation business wants to make a commitment to provide job-training. Really, we're looking forward to seeing what you report to us. We're excited about publicizing good news about the green economy and rewarding good green projects.
When will the grants be given?
The nomination period runs through June 7. The top-ten voting runs through June 30. We'll publicize the winners and disburse the grants shortly after that. We'll also keep up with the winners and profile the great ways that they use their "green grants."
How else will the nominees benefit?
We'll list all the nominees (not just the top ten) on our Web site with links to their work. This will become an honor roll of organizations doing great green work in their communities, bringing together social justice and environmental health. People from all over the country will see their work and have an opportunity to link to it.
How are the top ten nominees chosen?
Top ten nominees will be chosen by Green America staff.
How are the green grants funded?
A generous Green America donor provides these funds for us to disburse to other groups as we see fit. This year, we decided to invite you to help us decide who receives these grants.
