Upcycling Gives Gadgets Second Lives

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By Chris Noonan Special To The Worcester Business Journal

The runaway success of consumer electronics is a remarkable testament to innovation, human connectedness and economic strength. Its dominance is undeniable, from dependence on personal computers, to cell phones with enough computing power to run a business or small city, to innumerable conveniences like DVDs, iPods, iPads and game consoles.

The success of consumer gadgets is always most evident during the holidays, when the latest “must-have” technology arrives, loudly marketed with bright, attractive colors and over-amplified geek, sex, and financial appeal needed to convince us that it's time for an upgrade. It's a time when the excitement of new products, the joys of gift giving and the magic of the season always seem to overshadow crowded stores, empty wallets and the stubborn cold.

However, like many things, there's more than meets the eye.

You may see another piece of the consumer electronics story on the occasional open-air train car filled with shredded plastics and metals meandering along the Union Station overpass, most of it destined for ports in Africa, Asia or Central America. There, goods are stripped down in unsafe, makeshift processing camps, posing health and environmental hazards to the children or families who often work a full day for wages equivalent to the cost of a cup of coffee.

But, like puzzles, there are many pieces needed to make a full picture and there's a simple and easy way to reduce electronic waste from the convenience of your own computer: upcycling. Unlike recycling, upcycling doesn't strip materials to component parts and reprocess them, but refurbishes, fixes and cleans products, making them available for resale on secondary markets. Upcycling prevents waste (in 2011, there were 50 million tons of E-waste globally) and the necessity for new raw materials, while putting sustainability into action by giving a gadget a second life.

Beyond the environmental advantages, upcycling is creating numerous economic growth points here in the United States. For example, Causes International of Needham supports more than 30 full-time employees in Massachusetts, and provides steady work orders to its secure processing facility, as well as a solid revenue stream for their resellers. (Disclosure: The Institute for Energy & Sustainability in Worcester works with Causes International to turn upcycling donations into funding for student and community sustainability projects.)

The Institute for Energy & Sustainability (IES) has been actively promoting upcycling drives at Clark University and Worcester Polytechnic Institute and is assisting with National Grid's Green2Growth upcycling initiative. IES' executive director, Vincent DeVito, describes upcycling as “a simple and easy way we can all support the local green economy.”

During this holiday season, as your coworkers, friends and family members unwrap new devices, share with them the impact their used gadget has locally and internationally. And perhaps some snowy day in January, the gadgets on one of those freight cars passing slowly through the city will be diverted from far-off places and will instead create jobs and business opportunities while being upcycled safely and responsibly right here in New England.

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Chris Noonan is senior program adviser for the Institute for Energy & Sustainability in Worcester. Contact him at cnoonan@energyandsustainability.com.

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