By GREGORY ZELLER //
Thousands of pounds of “electronic waste” are off the streets, thanks to some middle school pluck and a little commercial scrap.
Students at Mineola Middle School collected about 4,240 pounds of electronic waste – not digital, like your e-book, but solid, like your busted old Kindle – during the school’s annual eWaste Drive, held in October. The sixth-annual effort invited community members to swing by and drop off unused computers, printers, flatscreen televisions and various past-their prime electronic-device accessories, such as keyboards and power chargers.
The goods (or bads, depending on your perspective) were deposited into a large industrial container provided by Farmingdale-based Two Brothers Scrap Metal, which then hauled off the huge load for separating and possible recycling.
Mark Santiago: Metal man.
The annual drive aims to cut off the junk-tronics before they clog up regional landfills – a 21st Century environmental action combining the will of Mineola Middle School’s ecological army and the cutting-edge tech of Two Brothers’ scrapping and logistics operation.
“All of the [electronic waste] collected is separated into categories,” noted Two Brothers Manager Mark Santiago. “Once separated, they’re shipped to companies that are R2 Certified to be recycled.”
“R2 Certified” references one of two electronics-recycling certification standards accredited by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Both sets of standards establish and monitor specific criteria for the safe management and recycling of electronics components.
Once delivered by Two Brothers, the neatly ordered electronic waste is further examined by the certified recyclers, which “decide which parts are recycled versus scrapped,” Santiago noted.
“The R2 companies follow a common set of processes, safety measures and documentation requirements to repair and recycle used electronics,” the manager added.
The 4,200-odd pounds collected last month – just over two short tons – adds another large haul to the ongoing Mineola Middle School/Two Brothers effort, which kicked off in 2017.
Waste not: Instead of clogging landfills, old electronics might live a new life.
In 2021, two school-based drives (including a rescheduled 2020 drive, bumped by COVID) collected a combined 13,380 pounds of electronic waste. Over six rounds, the partnership has steered 46,500 pounds of electronic waste – more than 21 tons – away from regional landfills.
For Two Brothers – a circa-1982 scrapping giant that ranks among New York State’s largest scrap-metal dealers, with 2,000-plus commercial accounts across New York, New Jersey and Connecticut – joining the middle school on the environmental rescue mission is a no-brainer, according to Santiago.
“Two Brothers is proud to take part in the eWaste Drive,” the company manager said. “It teaches the children about recycling and how their actions – recycling unwanted electronic devices – will have a direct impact on reducing the amount of waste entering the landfills.”
