Triangle Ecycling Celebrated Earth Day by Ecycling Thousands of Pounds of Ewaste

Triangle Ecycling helped several of our corporate clients in RTP, Downtown Durham, Raleigh, Morrisville and Apex with employee ewaste recycling events in honor of Earth Day.

We are pleased to have been asked for our support in planning, marketing and picking up the computers, peripherals and other equipment collected from the companies and their employees.

Triangle Ecycling is a Durham-based nonprofit, our mission is to help make our community smarter, cleaner and more equitable. We do this by providing free tech education and electronics recycling services and by donating computers to nonprofits and public school students in need. We have educated more than 170 high school interns. We recycled over 150 tons of ewaste in 2024 and donated more than 500 computers. 

We provide secure pickup and transport with our own team in the Mid-Atlantic region and nationwide with our trusted IT logistics partner. Once received in our shop, all hard drives are pulled from computers and data securely destroyed. We provide a Serialized Inventory and Certificate of Destruction. Our service provides a way for businesses and organizations to support sustainability and give back to their community at no cost to them.

What are the best reasons for buying a used laptop

1. Cost Savings

• Significant Price Reduction: Used laptops are typically much cheaper than new ones. You can get a laptop with similar specifications at a fraction of the price, which is great if you’re on a budget.

• Value for Money: Even if a used laptop isn’t brand new, it could still offer excellent performance for most daily tasks, providing great value for the price.

2. Environmental Impact

• Sustainability: By purchasing a used laptop, you're contributing to reducing electronic waste (e-waste), which is a significant environmental issue. Reusing electronics helps minimize the need for new raw materials and reduces carbon emissions associated with manufacturing new devices.

• Recycling & Reusing: The process of refurbishing and reselling used laptops helps give devices a second life and keeps them out of landfills.

3. Better Hardware for Your Budget

• Higher-End Models at Lower Prices: With the money you save, you might be able to buy a laptop that is more powerful or has more features than you could afford when buying new. For example, you could purchase a high-end business laptop or gaming machine for the price of a mid-range new laptop.

• Upgrades: Some used laptops might come with upgrades, like extra RAM or SSDs, that would cost more if bought new.

4. Depreciation

• Avoid Initial Depreciation: New laptops lose a significant portion of their value the moment they're purchased. By buying a used one, you’re not taking that initial hit to the device's value.

5. Laptops for Specific Uses

• Niche or Older Models: If you need a specific laptop model or older device for a certain use case (e.g., older software compatibility, gaming, or legacy hardware), a used laptop could be the best option. Certain brands or models that are no longer produced can be found at used markets.

• Test Out a Model: If you're unsure about a particular model but don’t want to pay full price for a new one, buying a used one can let you test it out and see if it meets your needs.

6. Refurbished Options

• Certified Refurbished Laptops: Many companies sell used laptops that have been professionally refurbished. These laptops often come with warranties, and they’ve been repaired, cleaned, and tested to ensure they function like new.

7. Available Warranties and Support

• Warranty and Return Policies: Some sellers or manufacturers offer warranties even on used or refurbished laptops. This means you can still get customer support or have a device replaced if something goes wrong.

8. Flexibility for Non-Critical Tasks

• Great for Secondary Devices: Used laptops are great for secondary purposes such as browsing the web, light office work, or using it as a secondary machine. If you're looking for something for basic tasks or a backup device, a used laptop is often more than sufficient.

9. Experimenting with Customization

• More Room to Experiment: You can buy a used laptop and use it for things like upgrading parts (e.g., replacing the hard drive or adding more RAM), which can be a fun and cost-effective way to learn more about computers and hardware.

In the end, buying a used laptop can be a fantastic decision, especially if you're looking for a good deal, are environmentally conscious, or want a specific model without breaking the bank. Just make sure to buy from reputable sellers or platforms to avoid potential issues.

Canada, Mexico tariffs poised to disrupt recycling sector

by Colin Staub for eScrap News

The Recycled Materials Association warned of potential “severe” disruption to the materials recovery sector after tariffs targeting the U.S.’s largest trading partners took effect this week. Some tariffs on Mexican imports were paused for another month on March 6. Meanwhile, Canada’s proposed response includes tariffs on U.S. exports of recycled materials.

READ MORE…

The Story You’ve Been Told About Recycling Is a Lie

By Alexander Clapp

Mr. Clapp is a journalist and the author of “Waste Wars: The Wild Afterlife of Your Trash,” from which this essay is adapted. From the New York Times

In the closing years of the Cold War, something strange started to happen.

Much of the West’s trash stopped heading to the nearest landfill and instead started crossing national borders and traversing oceans. The stuff people tossed away and probably never thought about again — dirty yogurt cups, old Coke bottles — became some of the most redistributed objects on the planet, typically winding up thousands of miles away. It was a bewildering process, one that began with the export of toxic industrial waste. By the late 1980s, thousands of tons of hazardous chemicals had left the United States and Europe for the ravines of Africa, the beaches of the Caribbean and the swamps of Latin America.

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Triangle Ecycling Opens New SoCal Office in Silicon Valley to Provide Corporate ITAD Services.

PRESS RELEASE

Release Date: January 10, 2025                    

Contact:

Triangle Ecycling                     Triangle Ecycling of SoCal

Larry Herst, Founder/CEO       Christian Lopez, Director

919.414.3041 ext. 1               (714) 453-8115

larry@triangleecycling.com    lopez@triangleecycling.com

Triangle Ecycling Opens New SoCal Office in Silicon Valley to Provide Corporate ITAD Services.

Triangle Ecycling today announced the establishment of its new ITAD service based in Tustin, California. Headed by its long-time Director of Ecycling, Christian Lopez, the office can do pickups for businesses and organizations anywhere on the West Coast. The company has been picking up computers and other electronics for tech, bio-tech, pharma and other industries for the past 14 years in the Raleigh-Durham Triangle area, which includes Research Triangle Park.

“In 2021 we began picking laptops and desktop computers anywhere in the US with the support of our logistics partner.” said Larry Herst, Founder/CEO. “Many of our tech company clients in RTP also have offices in Silicon Valley so it made sense for us to establish an office covering Southern California. Chris Lopez has been overseeing our ITAD pickup and recycling service in Durham. He is a bilingual Spanish speaker who was born in SoCal so it made sense for him to head up the office.”

“Personalized secure pickup and NIST 800-80 Data Destruction are Guaranteed and a Certificate of Destruction are provided, as is a Carbon Reduction Receipt for ESG Reporting, says Lopez. We’ve found our clients in California are particularly focused on green practices and ESG considerations. We are well equiped to support their efforts.”

Triangle Ecycling of SoCal has unveiled a new website at https://triangleecyclingofsocal.com which includes local contact info and a form clients can fill out online to request a pickup.

Triangle Ecycling is an NC, LLC with a self-sustaining sister nonprofit organization. For 14 years it has been picking up and refurbishing computers and recycling all electronics. TE donates hundreds of laptops to nonprofits and families in need. It also runs a free computer tech educational internship program that has graduated over 160 public high school students. In 2024 the company kept 145 tons of ewaste out of landfills.