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Sunnking and eCaboose Achieve RecycleOne Certification
The Oneida-Herkimer Solid Waste Authority (Authority) is pleased to announce that Sunnking and eCaboose, located in Whitesboro, NY, have received the Authority's RecycleOne Business Certification.
The RecycleOne Business Certification requires an on-site review from Authority staff to verify that specific solid waste management, recycling, and energy reduction criteria have been achieved. The Authority will issue the facility or business an official RecycleOne Business Certification if the requirements have been achieved.
This certification is free and available to all Oneida and Herkimer Counties businesses. Certified businesses will receive a framed certificate to display, be featured on the Authority's website, and be eligible to win the Authority's annual Recycling Champion Award.
Meet the Businesses: Sunnking and eCaboose
Sunnking is a certified electronics recycler and reseller that serves Central and Western New York. Sunnking recycles and resells electronic items, including laptops, TVs, computer monitors, small kitchen appliances, and gaming consoles. For more information, visit www.sunnking.com.
Sunnking was founded in Brockport, NY, in 2000 as an electronic device reseller. Since then, electronics recycling volumes have exceeded 25,000,000 pounds annually, and Sunnking has become New York State's first R2-certified recycler. The location in Whitesboro opened in 2020 and works with the headquarters in Brockport to recycle all of the electronic waste that is brought to the Authority for recycling. This location can process approximately 18,000 pounds of electronics a day. In 2021 alone, Sunnking helped divert 904,000 pounds of electronics from the Regional Landfill. In total, this location recycles 5,000,000 to 7,000,000 pounds of electronics per year. The Brockport location has 150 employees, and the Whitesboro location has seven employees.
Each Sunnking location has a retail store called eCaboose. At these locations, electronics are refurbished using parts that are recovered from the electronics dismantling part of the recycling process and are sold at a discounted price. Electronic repair services and maintenance are also offered at these locations. For more information, visit www.ecaboose-whitesboro.com.
How it Works
Similar to how the Authority's Recycling Center works, electronics are brought to Sunnking, weighed, categorized by type, and placed on a conveyor belt to be sorted. Electronics are dismantled into their components, saved for reuse, or sent to headquarters in Brockport to be shredded. Parts containing data are scanned and either sterilized (data is removed without damage) or destroyed for confidentiality, depending on what kind of data the piece has.
Sunnking has partnered with local smash rooms, which take 2,000 – 3,000 pounds of electronic waste a week to use for their customers. Customers smash the electronics apart, and the remaining pieces are collected and sent back to Sunnking for regular processing and recycling. This a unique way that electronics can be dismantled, ultimately reducing some of the workload for Sunnking's employees.
Sunnking and eCaboose's Waste Reduction Efforts
The goal here is to "put nothing in the garbage" and recycle everything possible through the most appropriate channel. The five main types of waste at Sunnking and eCaboose are metal, plastic, precious metals, cardboard, and regular waste and recycling.
Metal: Metals like aluminum and steel are separated from the electronic waste and are set aside to be picked up by Sims Metal Management, which has a location close by in Frankfort, NY. The metal collected here is brought to another Sims location in Albany, where it is processed at a recycling center and distributed to metal recyclers.
Plastic: Black and white plastics that are often used to make and encase electronics are separated from electronic waste and various types of plastic. These two different types of plastic are placed in their own gaylords, and once there is an appropriate quantity of each, Sunnking sells them as a commodity to manufacturers.
Precious metals: Precious metals like gold, copper, and silver are removed here or at the Brockport location and then sold to manufacturers as a commodity.
Cardboard: Corrugated cardboard is baled and sold as a commodity.
Regular Waste/Recycling: Sunnking and eCaboose have regular waste and recycling dumpsters that Bliss Environmental Services, Inc, haul.
"Certification by the Authority is a tremendous honor and a testament that what we're doing for the environment, and our community has a huge impact," said Adam Shine, President of Sunnking. "We've been deeply connected to the Mohawk Valley since we began our partnership with Oneida-Herkimer over a decade ago. Our goal has always been to offer people a better option when their electronic devices have reached end-of-life. Recycling and refurbishing is the first line of defense; hopefully, it's a trend we will see continue for a long time."
"The Authority is very appreciative to have resources like Sunnking and eCaboose in our area," says Recycling Coordinator Eileen Brinck. "We are using this resource to its fullest potential, which is shown in Sunnking's hard work, the Authority's hard work, and residents' hard work to waste less and recycle more."
