By Michael Sullivan Contributor Computers, cell phones and ink cartridges have become key components to running a viable business for Valley entrepreneurs. So others have created companies dedicated to recycling ‘e-waste’ such as Planet Green and Neuwaste Business Recycling. Recycling electronic waste and using remanufacturing ink cartridges help maintain a healthy and clean environment. “Our point is to extend the lifecycle of the product, keep it out of landfills and keep raw materials from being used,” said Roberta Brodsky, Planet Green’s recycling program director. Planet Green, which is based in Chatsworth and has 60 employees, purchases empty inkjet cartridges from the public at up to $5 per cartridge, and then refills them at their facility. Big-box retailers and Internet-based companies purchase the cartridges at wholesale prices that translate into a 30 to 50 percent reduced price for the consumer compared to the cost of brand new cartridges. Planet Green, which opened for business in 2000, said it recycles between 100,000 to 200,000 ink cartridges each month. Planet Green also collects old cell phones, dismantles them and then sells back to the manufacturers. Brodsky said recycling cell phones doesn’t make Planet Green much money but rather they do it because the public needs a way to dispose of their old phones to keep them out of landfills. But remanufacturing ink cartridges is just the tip of the iceberg in the world of recycling. Neuwaste Business Recycling collects and recycles all sorts of materials, including laptops, computers, furniture, batteries and even light bulbs. “There is big money in recycling,” said Christian Muller, owner of Neuwaste Business Recycling. “But it’s very competitive. It is challenging for businesses to make a profit.” Muller, who has a degree in philosophy and began his career managing another recycler, started Neuwaste based in the City of Commerce two years come this August. He decided instead of dedicating his life to helping another person run a company, he would start his own. Neuwaste, which employs eight people, collects around 100,000 pounds of waste each month and sells the waste to companies who dismantle and then either reuse or dispose of the products. But Muller doesn’t get by on the purchasing price, but by a state tax that is placed on electronics. Whenever anyone purchases a computer or a television or even a DVD player, the consumer pays for the product and is also taxed to dispose of the device, similar to recycling cans and bottle. Neuwaste is just the disposal service cashing in on the taxes already paid by consumers. But Muller said he just can’t get enough material to recycle so he holds collection events all over the state to capitalize on electronic waste and give the public an opportunity to safely dispose of their e-waste, like the one they co-hosted with Planet Green last weekend in Chatsworth. Representatives from Planet Green hosted the event at their facility while Neuwaste officials collected thousands of pounds of e-waste from the residents and business owners of the San Fernando Valley. The event was a success: Brodsky said Neuwaste collected enough e-waste to fill a 53-foot truck. “About 10,000 pounds of waste was diverted from the landfills,” Muller said. “These events help us stay in business and the more people, businesses and schools that can host these events, the more opportunities there are for people to find proper outlets for these materials.” Muller said the demand is high for recycling and he will continue to hold events around the state as well as collect waste at his facility.
