Media Releases

May 2015

Another man's treasure

AGAPE volunteer Mark Rusanowsky is a wired, 21st Century techie who works with technological garbage. You know, those outdated computers and servers, printers, keyboards, mice, DVD players, cameras, and phones that we retire to various kitchen drawers and yard sales. And because he sees the value inside each of those now useless items, he wants you to give all that stuff to him. Standing in an area filled with over two dozen plastic bins and cardboard containers, Mark describes a process that starts with a staging area where donations are first evaluated for usefulness. Devices with a future are identified for families in need, resale, or reuse, and everything else heads to the unsorted workspace area where he and other volunteers open them up and "get the good stuff" as Mike describes it. After a few more steps, Mike and his team of salvagers have separated ABS plastics, scrap metal, mother boards, processors, hard drives, fans, motors, CPUs, non-magnetic metals, and wiring into their own bins. And what once required users to pay someone to take away their formally new technology is now a valuable collection ready for a second life. But working inside tight spaces and carefully removing small parts is not easy. Safety is key throughout the various reclamation steps. Gloves, glasses, and even grounding wrist straps are required to protect workers from sharp edges and still dangerous power supplies. Yet when the finished product is weighed by thousands of pounds, finding responsible buyers is a challenge. Add gas or mailing charges to deliver the recyclables, and costs add up. Increased donations would make the difference. Dropping off your devices at AGAPE help the community, give senior citizens and those completing community service hours valued goals, repurpose for those who need, and keep this type of hi-tech junk out of landfills. AGAPE's e-cycling also meets eligibility requirements for Green Grants, which in turn would help expand this fledgling program and let recycling outlets know we have the product and the amount they want. So, Mike is looking for volunteers. Right now, about six men are the recycling team, but that number is growing. Yet, "We still need more hands, the labor," Mike says. And he is offering a generous schedule to those who want to help. "Any day of the week except Wednesdays and any time," generally describes his offer. Those interested can contact Mike at 570.956.9770 or at agaperecycling@ptd.net.