American Retroworks Adds Capacity

American Retroworks Inc. (ARI), Middlebury, Vt., has expanded its processing capacity with the purchase of a new facility.

ARI has closed on the purchase of a 50,000 sq. ft. facility in Middlebury that operates under the name Good Point Recycling. The facility offers repair, reuse and recycling of computers and televisions.

The expansion allows Good Point to add fluorescent lamp recycling, textile baling, OEM brand take-back programs, secure data destruction, plastic recycling and other processes to its roster of services. “We want to continue to add value to our routes and services in New England,” says ARI president Robin Ingenthron.

American Retroworks Inc. is also expanding services in Arizona and Sonora, Mexico. In 2009, the company plans to offer complete tear-down, rebuilding and re-assembly of CRTs (cathode ray tubes) at the plant in Mexico, for re-export or definitive end-of-life recycling.

In 2008, six staff members from the Mexico plant cross-trained with ARI staff in Middlebury. Six Vermont staff have also flown to the Southwest to oversee expansion of the company's programs there, says Ingenthron.

ARI’s focus is “fair trade” export, or the export of working and tested electronics with a guarantee of complete downstream due diligence, according to Ingenthron.

“Repair and reuse rates are fantastic in developing countries,” says Ingenthron, who was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Africa in the 1980s. He remarks, though, that ARI “won’t let that become an excuse to export toxics along for the ride.”

Responsible exporting is a win-win, says Ingenthron. “If used computer exports are outlawed, only outlaws will export used computers. We need good people to reform export practices the way they are reforming the coffee trade, through accountability and communication.”

A slide show on the ARI facility and process can be found on the Web at:
http://picasaweb.google.com/ingenthron/GoodPointRecyclingTour#.