Processing Electronic Recycling at Green Star

Once a week, Green Star receives a delivery of 1-2 tons of your electronics that were dropped off for recycling from the Central Recycling Facility. Each Saturday, a team of dedicated volunteers carefully breaks down, sorts, and packages the electronics received for recycling, in order to prepare them for reuse or shipment to our electronics recycler, Total Reclaim, Inc (TRI) We follow the packaging guidelines set by TRI to ensure that the materials reach their Anchorage warehouse safely. These guidelines include removing all cables and wires; sorting materials by type of item (computers, monitors, TVs, cables/wires, etc.); stacking and wrapping large items securely on pallets; sorting, preparing, and packaging batteries by type for safe transportation. Our volunteers also remove and break down all extraneous paper and plastic packaging for recycling at the borough’s Central Recycling Facility.

The prepared electronics are then stored at our warehouse until we have collected enough material to fill a 40-foot trailer. Once we have produced approximately 20 completed pallets, they are loaded onto a trailer donated by our program partner – Air Land Transport – and shipped to the TRI facility in Anchorage. From there, TRI is responsible for shipping the electronics to their final destination – the main TRI recycling plant in Seattle, Washington. Once the materials reach Seattle, some of the items collected (e.g. newer computers) may be refurbished and offered as used electronics. The rest of the items are broken down into their component materials and prepared for reuse on the commodities markets. The recycling process separates CRTs and other computer equipment into component parts – such as leaded glass, precious metals, non-precious metals, and plastics – and makes these materials available to manufacturers. TRI researches all of their downstream vendors to ensure they are environmentally responsible.

Electronics are complex items made of many different materials mixed together. Responsibly recycling these items is labor-intensive and requires sophisticated equipment in order to break them down into their component raw materials. Paying for your electronics to go to a responsible company such as Total Reclaim Inc. means the borough is supporting the advanced technology, highly trained workers, and considerable effort required to properly reclaim valuable materials without sending them overseas and appropriately disposing of toxic materials. As a nonprofit organization, GSIA is able to recruit volunteers and obtain donations from local businesses, as well as the funding from the FNSB, which allows us to offset the costs of transportation and additional overhead required to support this program.

Learn how to volunteer to help Green Star recycle old electronics here.

Electronic Reuse

The first thing Green Star considers when sorting through the electronics we receive from the Borough is whether the electronics can be reused. We reuse thousands of items per year including TVs, desktop computers, laptops, keyboards, and monitors through sales and donations. How can you participate in the circular economy?

• Electronics Resale: Green Star now has 4 programs dedicated to reuse – ReUse IT, Reboot IT, Repair IT and Rebuild IT.  Learn about each and how to access some of the still-usable electronics coming through the CRF.. Proceeds support our recycling programs.
• Volunteer at our Saturday Volunteer Workdays (every week noon to 4pm) to help our staff test and repair electronics for resale
• We provide very low cost refurbished computers to individuals and organizations in need!
• We donate repaired electronic office equipment to nonprofits in town that need it. Fill out a Reboot IT request form for your non-profit or Email us at with your request.

If you are technologically inclined and want to help Green Star reuse or repair more electronics, become a volunteer

If you would like to shop for used electronics, our ReUse IT store is open Tue-Fri from 10-5 and Sat from Noon-4. We also list select items on our eBay page.  Let us know if you would like something listed on eBay – we would much rather sell to someone local.  If you are looking for a laptop charger, please bring your laptop with you to help find the right cable and make sure it works.

Fluorescent Bulb Collection

Through donations, Green Star provides fluorescent light recycling collection for the residents of Fairbanks. See our recycling guide for more information on how and when to bring your fluorescent bulbs to us for recycling.

Why can’t I just put my E-Waste in the trash?

The problem is not simply the sheer mass of these discarded devices. Electronic products contain toxic materials, and improper disposal may lead to water and air pollution. “A Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) monitor can contains between four and eight pounds of lead alone. Big screen tube TVs contain even more than that. Flat panel TVs and monitors contain less lead, but many use mercury lamps.” Other toxic substances found in electronic devices include cadmium, copper, lithium, brominated flame-retardants, and phosphorus. “About 70% of the heavy metals (mercury and cadmium) in US landfills come from electronic waste. Consumer electronics make up 40% of the lead in landfills.” Fairbanks has a modern, lined landfill that is used for regular waste. The leachate, or water that extracts chemicals from the soil, generated in the landfill is collected, tested, and if it passes disposal requirements, it is then pumped to the local waste water plant for disposal. Your groundwater is protected, but e-waste can be better disposed of by recycling it at the Central Recycling Facility.

Information security may also be an issue. From the time electronics are placed in dumpsters at transfer sites they are out of your hands. Industrious “dumpster divers” may obtain and repurpose your electronics before they are taken to the landfill. Any data you may have had on your electronic devices may then be accessed by strangers. If you drop your hard drive off for recycling it is wiped or destroyed as part of the recycling process.

Throwing away our old electronics also means the loss of valuable minerals and electronic components that could be mined for reuse, such as gold, copper, metal, and plastic.“One metric ton (t) of electronic scrap from personal computers (PC’s) contains more gold than that recovered from 17 t of gold ore” Rather than simply throwing away these valuable resources, it makes sense to recycle the devices and reuse as many of these materials possible.

In short, recycling our old electronics reduces our demand for raw materials and energy, reduces the burden on landfills, and reduces the amount of hazardous materials entering our environment.