Sunnking Benefits From Boom In Recycling Of Electronic Devices
The Rochester Top 100, which annually recognizes the fastest-growing privately held companies in the nine-county region, is sponsored by the Rochester Business Alliance and KPMG.
Here is an interview with Duane Beckett, chief executive officer of Sunnking Inc.
What does your company do?
Sunnking takes in older or end-of-life electronics such as computers, telecom and test equipment and recycles it. We accomplish this by refurbishing the units for reuse or by breaking down the equipment to its commodity level either by manual separation or shredding. The commodities are then sold to mills or refineries. We produce commodities such as copper-bearing material, aluminum, stainless steel and precious metal-bearing items.
Where did the idea to start this company come from?
The idea evolved from the scrap metal industry. Although the recycling of electronics has been around for a long time, the concept was not widespread. As electronics made their way through conventional scrap yards, they were simply processed as mixed metal or the lowest common denominator for metals.
The opportunity was clear that separating the components, much like separating different metals such as copper from aluminum, will yield much higher returns. At the end of the day we are still scrap processors, high tech scrap processors.
What sorts of products are people sending you to recycle and who is sending it?
Sunnking’s services are primarily business-to-business. We service very large Fortune 500 companies down to single-office certified public accountants. The material varies from company to company and varies greatly by type. We see everything from small motors to electronic microscopes. The items don’t have to be electronic either. With our reuse component, we’ve even resold corrugated boxes.
Once you get the products, what do you do with them?
After we receive the items from a company, we log total weights so our customers know what they have recycled by volume. We also give more complete details based on the customer needs. The material will then be separated into its major categories and directed to either the shredding for commodity recycling or parts harvesting for reuse and resale.
Duane Beckett, Sunnking’s chief executive officer says there’s no better time than right now to go green.
You recycle things like laptops, monitors and telephones but not microwaves or other home appliances. Why some and not the others?
All items can be recycled, but some items require added steps that we are not certified to complete.
Refrigeration is one example. Freon needs to be recovered by a certified business first. Most home appliances are fine, but yield very little in recoverable materials. We create a low yield refinery product from some of these.
Has your business changed over the last few years, now that going green is more popular? What adjustments have you had to make, if any?
The company has definitely changed as going green has exploded. We have seen growth that has been directly affected by the initiative. The company has expanded from five employees to 45 in three short years. Recycling electronics is simply one aspect of the green movement. However, electronic scrap is one of the fastest growing waste streams in the world. We believe that we have positioned ourselves well to handle the huge volumes of materials that need to be recycled by investigating in processing equipment and the people who will take us to the next level.
Continuing with the environmental issue, how do you envision the workplace in five to 10 years?
In five years, I see either state or federal regulations regarding the recycling of electronics. Some states have already put laws in place regarding landfill bans on some electronics, and I will anticipate New York will follow sooner than others. Companies and individuals will be mandated to properly recycle electronics.
From a financial point of view, what does recycling do for a company and for the economy in general?
We have gone into companies that thought they were recycling properly and re-educated them in regards to what items can be recycled in addition to what they currently were recycling.
We like to rebate back to our customers whenever possible, and the more a company can send our way, the more revenue we can generate for them.
Can you suggest some ideas on what companies can do to get in the habit of recycling for the new year?
Look around. Electronics are not the only items to be recycled in the office. If there isn’t a recycling program at your workplace, ask about starting one. By recycling half of your workplace waste, an average workplace can save approximately 2,400 pounds of carbon dioxide annually.
Democrat & Chronicle
ANA FERMIN, STAFF WRITER