On a hot, sunny day last July, 28 tons of electronic items -- hard drives, peripherals,
monitors, keyboards, TVs, microwaves, VCRs, camcorders, and the like -- were
unloaded from 660 cars, trucks, and vans during an exciting first-ever E-waste recycling
event in Henderson County. Exactly where did that stuff go?

Because recent articles about the processing of exported E-waste from the U.S. to
China, India, and Pakistan report that damage is being caused to human and
environmental health in those developing countries, we asked Joe Clayton, president of
Synergy, Inc., the Greensboro-based company that toted away the tons of recyclables,
what happens to the electronics he processes?

Clayton said the company is in the process of acquiring certification as an ISO 14001
company, an environmental quality certification offered worldwide by independent
certification agencies. Synergy makes it a condition of doing business with its vendors
that they also follow environmental rules, he said.

The computer monitors with cathode ray tubes (CRT) are tested. If they are in working
order, they are sold for reuse, Clayton said. Monitors that don't work but are
cosmetically sound are sent to another company to have their CRTs pulled and are
transformed into cheap televisions.

The central processing units (CPU) are sorted into categories based on speed and
condition. Many are disassembled at the Synergy plant where parts are separated and
stored until a sufficient quantity is generated to create value for sale.
Workers at Synergy pull as much plastic from old computers and printers as feasible.
The rest of the material is shredded and processed to extract the metals.
Busted TVs are broken down into parts at Synergy, but many TVs are repaired for
reuse.

Materials that Synergy collects from the breakdown of recyclables are sold to recycling
markets in the US, Asia, and Europe based on market prices. Clayton said he makes every effort to ensure their products find clean markets. Thank you Synergy.

-- from information researched by Katie Breckheimer