A vacant warehouse on Grand Rapids' southwest side will soon be the hub for
Advanced Technology Recycling's northeast U.S. region; a collection and dispersal point for electronics recycling and rebuilding computers for resale inside and outside the states.
Advanced Recycling Technology, a subsidiary of Pontiac, Illinois-based
BK Solutions, Inc., is a zero-landfill electronics recycling company that uses its expertise in the technology industry to refurbish discarded computers, and then sells them to companies who want to keep costs down, says Brodie Ehresman, northeast region general manager.
The 65,000-square-foot former mattress warehouse (702 Hall St. SW) has been vacant for several years after being used as tire storage and a stadium seating painting facility.
"We have a strong commitment to repurpose as much electronic equipment as we can," Ehresman says. "We have a proprietary process to sanitize the computers and have an IT team to repurpose the machines."
Ehresman says the company had to bring the century-old warehouse up to code with a new sprinkler system, elevators, and boilers, and is in the process of rebuilding the seven loading docks.
The company is an ISO 14001-R2 Certified Recycler and, besides computers, accepts phones, phone systems, laptops, copiers and other electronics. Items are collected at drop off sites organized at private corporations and organizations such as
Habitat for Humanity. The recyclables will come to the Grand Rapids site for staging, and then sent downstream to various facilities for dismantling and recycling.
A grand opening is planned for August 6. An electronic waste drive is planned for July 20 - 21 at Habitat for Humanity ReStores on Division Avenue, Wyoming, and on Alpine Avenue, Comstock Park.
Source: Brodie Ehresman, Advanced Technology Recycling
Writer: Deborah Johnson Wood, Development News Editor
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