b'Electronic Afterlife One students effort to save the environment in SOMAand the worldBY ADRIANNA DONATW emaynotbeabletoof? Recyclable Tech can help. And it doesnt matterclables are broken down into smaller reusable pieces.livewithoutcomput- if your old device still works. Recyclable Tech willRecyclable Tech is important to the recycling eco-ers. But how long willtake it anyway. system in our towns and is getting attention from Ce-yourcomputerliveWe tried to make the process as simple as pos- sare Riccardi, Superintendent & Recycling Coordina-without you? sible, Diegnan explains. Just visit our website at Re- tor at the Maplewood Department of Public Works. EstimatesarethatcyclableTech.org and fill out a submission form for aSays Riccardi, Caleb Diegnan and his predeces-80 percent of comput- pickup or drop off donation. We take it from there. sors are true assets to our community for their efforts ers end up in a landfill. And it will take anywhereOnce Diegnan has the electronics, he figures outand time spent towards this important matter, par-from one to two million years for them to decom- where it will go next. ticularly because our program is a drop-off rather pose into their basic elements, many of which areWe get a lot of really old stuff, says Diegnan.than a pickup. Their company, Recyclable Tech, of-toxic. This problem compounds as computers getThings like old TVs and gaming consoles. Some- fers a service to those residents that may not have the cheaper and consumers opt to buy new computerstimes its hard to figure out what it is. ability to transport their items to our facility for any instead of repairing old ones.Diegnan sorts through the dusty electronics andreason, while still maintaining the integrity of the CalebDiegnantakeselectronicsrecyclingverydecides what to do with each.mission. The Township is proud to have residents seriously, and hes here to help. Heputsasidethosethatcanberesold.Oncesuch as Caleb that spearhead projects like this, and DiegnanisarisingsenioratColumbiaHightheyre sold, he donates profits to the Environmentalwearealwayswillingandhappytohelpsupport School,andthepresidentofRecyclable Tech,anDefense Fund.them, and any cause that lessens environmental im-organization that works in the South Orange andItems that work but arent good candidates forpacts and better serves our residents. Riccardi adds Maplewood communities to ensure that electronicsresale are given to Medic Mobile, an organizationthat the Maplewood DPW is available to dispose of in our area are recycled properly.that refurbishes the equipment for use by health careelectronics any day and any time the DPW is open.Do you have computers, tablets, phones, print- workers in 14 countries, mainly in Africa and Asia.Recyclable Tech was an idea spearheaded by Jack ers, or even just electronic wires you need to get ridThe rest are brought to Best Buy, where the recy- and Owen Witt in 2020. The Witts graduated in 32/ matters magazine / school 2022'