1 Elaine Kellerman, aka The Recyclinator Zoom

Have you ever wondered what happened to your old television or computer monitor you dropped off at a hazardous waste collection? Did you think it might still be landfilled, but just with more safeguards? Well, if Uniwaste Services LLC in Portsmouth received your discards, you can rest assured that every salvageable component of those electronics will be used again. This company operates two facilities in New Hampshire, one dedicated to electronics recycling and the other to fluorescent bulb recycling. I had the opportunity last week to tour both.

At the electronics facility, incoming goods are broken down. The glass, metals and plastics are separated and sold as commodities, with an average of 2 million pounds of materials processed a month.

What sets Uniwaste apart from others electronics recyclers is its dedication to the recycling of cathode ray tube glass - the glass on the front of computer monitors and the panel and funnel glass from televisions. This involves a process many other recyclers don't want to deal with. It is easier and less expensive to dump the glass rather than properly clean it. South Korea is the direct beneficiary of Uniwaste's efforts, as the main market for CRT glass.

This work is not without hazards. Electronics come with lead and cadmium, and fluorescent bulbs have mercury. Both facilities use HEPA and carbon filtration systems to manage dust and air quality. Protective clothing is also worn. Workers I saw looked more like astronauts on a spacewalk.

One thing that particularly struck me was the fact that even some of the captured hazardous waste is recycled. Mercury from the bulbs is condensed and processed for eventual reuse in medical instruments and other products.

Uniwaste is an example of a company helping our environment and our state economy. It is a source of green jobs, something of real benefit to New Hampshire.

P.S. Fluorescent bulbs dropped at the transfer station are recycled by Uniwaste.