A Successful Connection for the Whole Community

by Terri Cronin

With the rapid advances of technology, it is not uncommon to find an old computer or two stored in a hall closet or office storeroom. Now, imagine 32 tons (64,000 pounds) of electronic equipment from computers to VCRs to stereos. They sit in homes, schools, and businesses. The equipment is not used anymore; some items are obsolete even though only five years old. What can a community do?

Los Angeles County, along with the cities of Palmdale and Lancaster, decided to conduct a series of community wide electronic equipment collection events as part of Antelope Valley Environmental Pride Week and Looking Good Lancaster day. The events took place during the week of April 16-21, with some participants making two or three trips to drop off equipment. This was a successful connection for an entire community!

Puyam Corporation of Lancaster, specializing in electronic equipment with a focus on reusing and refurbishing, processed the collected material at the company's facility. Danny Duplechan established Puyam Corporation just a year ago, building on his nearly 10-year experience in operating recycling businesses.

The company has received inquiries from local governments who saw Puyam's listing in CalMAX. Puyam also uses CalMAX to find new customers.

For Puyam, the collection events turnout exceeded expectations. Mr. Greg Warren, Vice President at Puyam, helped coordinate the events. "People want their old electronics to stay out of the landfill, they just don't know what their options are. So they were really excited about the collection events," observed Mr. Warren. Both residents and businesses participated, including Edwards Air Force Base. By the end of the week, event coordinators had collected 32 tons of electronic material. That was just the beginning of Puyam's work.

Once the equipment arrived at Puyam's warehouse, workers sorted it by category. They separated televisions, computers, fax machines, copiers, printers, and many other items. The staff at Puyam then determined which items were still working. The company supplied this equipment to schools, nonprofit organizations, and community groups. Non-working equipment was either repaired or disassembled so any working components could be sold.

The company recycled the remaining materials, including plastic housings, metals, wires, chips, and boards. Mr. Warren notes that Puyam diverts 100 percent of the material handled at its facility; nothing ends up in the dumpster!

Mr. Warren was quick to point out that many organizations made the collection events possible. "This was a community effort between us, the local governments, and Waste Management to help address an important issue," he said. Mr. Warrant credits the dedication of the local government agencies that spread the word about the events for the high participation rate. "The public is willing to participate, they just need to know when and where to bring their electronics."

Mr. Warren is working with a number of communities interested in holding electronic waste collection events. The increasing demand for such programs comes as community leaders, businesses, and residents realize the need to reuse and recycle old or obsolete electronic equipment. Recently, staff from the CIWMB's Recycling Market Development Program toured Puyam's facility in Lancaster to learn more about the expanding business of electronic equipment recycling.

In the future, Puyam looks forward to more requests for its services from both communities and businesses. As the business continues to grow, Mr. Warren sees many opportunities to divert electronic products out of the waste stream and increase reuse of electronics. He hopes to purchase a machine that will remove the glass from monitors and televisions (the cathode ray tubes) for recycling. Puyam will continue to use CalMAX to find new customers, including those looking for electronic collection services or who are interested in purchasing refurbished equipment, recovered components, and recycled materials from electronic equipment.

Contact information:
Danny Duplechan
Puyam Corporation
45428 N. Trevor Ave., Bldg. A
Lancaster, CA 93534
(661) 948-5068
homepage@puyam.com

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Last updated: August 01, 2008