• By ROBIN SCHWARTZ
  WJBK | myFOXDetroit.com

REDFORD, Mich. (WJBK) — When a hammer meets an old television, you know that TV’s lifespan is over.

Workers at GEEP, or Global Electric Electronic Processing, in Redford don’t mess around. Their warehouse on Beech Daly is where outdated technology has a date with destiny. It’s completely dismantled so tons of plastic, metal and glass can be salvaged and recycled.

“E-waste contains toxic material. We want to divert any toxic materials from the landfills so it doesn’t contaminate our grounds or the water,” said Doug Verkeyn.

The company, which started in Canada, says out of 40-million tons of e-waste worldwide, only 21-percent actually gets recycled. The average person generates about 20 pounds of e-waste every year and because technology is rapidly changing, it’s the fastest growing type of waste.

One big part of GEEP’s operation is taking precautions against identity theft.

“We have software to do the data wiping and/or we have a hard drive shredder to shred the data off a hard drive,” Verkeyn explained.

The electronics recycler is teaming up with FOX 2, the Better Business Bureau and Greenpath Debt Solutions for Earth Day. People can bring up to three boxes of documents to be shredded by Cintas, and GEEP will collect old computers, laptops, keyboards, monitors, printers, TVs and more. Everything gets recycled and you can protect your identity and the environment.

“We got to think of our kids, the future generation, so if everyone can kind of do their thing by doing the responsible thing, just a better health and safety for our little ones in the near future,” Verkeyn said.

Usually there is a small fee when you drop off computers or monitors, but GEEP is collecting e-waste free of charge as part of Secure Your ID Day. It’s Saturday, April 21 from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the BBB offices at 26777 Central Park Boulevard in Southfield.

If you can’t make it there, an e-Clutter for Kids event is also taking place Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. at E Title Agency, 1650 West Big Beaver in Troy.

You can also recycle e-waste free of charge the following Saturday, April 28, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at Martin Luther King, Junior High School in Detroit.

Link: http://www.myfoxdetroit.com/dpp/news/foxe_reports/geep-collecting-e-waste-free-of-charge-on-earth-day-20120420-ms

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Using cutting edge processes and equipment, the 45,000 square foot Global Electric and Electronic Processing Inc. (GEEP) facility processes more than 30,000 tonnes per year of old computers, televisions, and a wide range of electrical and electronic waste materials for recycling.

Processes and equipment used at the state of the art facility include:

• Centrifugal Separation
• Plastics Shredder
• CRT Processing
• Chain Shredder
• De-Reeler
• Baler

The facility is built and operated at the Edmonton Waste Management Centre by GEEP Alberta Inc – a subsidiary of GEEP Inc, an international e-waste recycler based in Barrie Ontario. It is the first e-waste recycling facility to be built by GEEP Inc in western Canada.

GEEP is a registered processor under Alberta’s electronics program which is administered by Alberta Recycling Management Authority.

What can be recycled at GEEP?:

• small kitchen appliances
• audio and video equipment and televisions
• personal care appliances (hair dryers, shavers, etc. )
• other electrical household tools (vacuums, irons, floor polishers)
• electrical power tools
• telecommunications equipment – telephones, cell phones
• computer and home office equipment
• computer components
• photocopiers, fax machines and similar office electronics
• industrial electrical tools
• specialty equipment containing electrical motors, switches and other components with material value

Where can I take my electronic and electric waste for recycling?

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These days it seems like every company is trying to go green, and we’ll be the first to back those efforts up. To prove how supportive we are, we decided to bring back our “Green Office Tip of the Week” segment this week to offer up our thoughts on how your company can improve its recycling efforts.

In order to do so, we’ve compiled a list of 19 things that your office can, and should, recycle. Recycling is the easiest way to go green. There are businesses around the country that will take pretty much any material from you, and some of them will even pay you for certain items. If you need help finding a place to recycle any of these materials, check out Earth911.com.

• Light Bulbs
• Batteries
• Computers
• Monitors
• Printers
• Televisions
• Cell Phones
• Newspaper
• Printer Paper
• Cardboard
• Aluminum Cans                                      
• Plastic Bottles
• Glass
• Wood, Bricks & Other Building Materials
• Metal Scrap
• Shipping Styrofoam
• Ink Cartridges
• Tires
• Furniture

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GEEP also says and ProAmbi recognize the need to meet global customer requirements in the asset management and electronic scrap industry. GEEP says the partnership is expected to be one of many alliances that GEEP will be announcing over the next several months.
Nicole Andison, GEEP’s global account manager – process partners, EDS EBAN, says partnering will help GEEP direct material from some of its clients operating in Mexico to the ProAmbi facility. “We have large key accounts in Mexico. We can now partner them with ProAmbi.

For ProAmbi, Andison says her company will be able to share its knowledge and resources to the Mexican company so they can meet auditing requirements. According to GEEP, ProAmbi-GEEP Mexico has committed to become a fully audited facility meeting all of GEEP’s ISO standards and downstream requirements.

ProAmbi CEO Jan Rene Aguirre says, “I chose GEEP because of its inspiring leaders, culture of success, outstanding business ethics, passion for excellence, commitment to the environment and its vision and profound understanding of the e-waste industry. The GEEP family represents and lives with these values, making GEEP the best partner for a very successful long lasting win-win business relationship.”

“The team at GEEP is excited to be able to work with ProAmbi. We selected this partnership based on ProAmbi’s national reputation for ethical business practice and their commitment to advance and progress to become the leading e waste service provider in the Country of Mexico,” says Greg McWatt, GEEP vice president for corporate development in Latin America and the Caribbean.

“The entire process of developing this relationship and training has been a very positive boost to GEEP’s goal, to offer a standardized global service extended to our most important customers,” McWatt adds.
GEEP, which was acquired by Triple M Metals April, 2011, has 14 locations throughout Canada, the U.S., Mexico, Europe and Central America.

ProAmbi-GEEP, which operates one facility in Mexico City, will be relocating the facility in November 2011. According to Andison, the firm hopes to open several more electronics recycling facilities in Mexico in the next several years.

Article: http://www.recyclingtoday.com/Article.aspx?article_id=120812

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CONTACTS:

Melanie Duquesnel,
President/CEO

Patrick Bennett, Director of
Community Relations

(248) 799-0326

pbennett@easternmichiganbbb.org

BBB Offers Free On-Site Document
Shredding, Computer Recycling and Identity Theft Prevention Tips

BBB and GreenPath
Debt Solutions Invite the Community to Take Part in National Protect Your
Identity Week

Southfield, MI –
October 12, 2011 -Your local Better Business Bureau (BBB) along with GreenPath Debt Solutions are hosting National Protect Your Identity Week (PYIW) October 16 – 22, 2011. Residents and small businesses are encouraged to take an important step in identity protection by attending BBB’s SECURE YOUR ID DAY Community Shred and Computer Recycling event on Saturday, October 22, 2011 (9 am – 1 pm) at the BBB Office parking lot in Southfield.

Overall losses from identity fraud in 2010 exceeded $37 billion according to a 2011 report from Javelin Strategy and Research. The report also indicated that the average consumer out-of-pocket cost due to identity fraud increased to $631 per incident in 2010 which is up 63% from $387 in 2009 and incidences of “friendly fraud” (identity theft committed by someone known to the victim) grew seven percent.
“While there is no guarantee that one won’t become a victim of identity theft, destroying documents that appeal to thieves and destroying computer hard drives with sensitive passwords and information are just a couple of ways to deter identity theft”, said Patrick Bennett, Director of Community Relations for the Better Business Bureau Serving Eastern Michigan. “That’s why your BBB, GreenPath Debt Solutions, Cintas Corporation and Global Electric Electronics Processing will be available to offer information and actions to help people prevent ID theft.”

Bring up to three boxes or bags of sensitive paper documents to be shredded on the spot for free by event partner Cintas. $10 per box/bag exceeding the free promotion will be charged with proceeds supporting the BBB Educational Foundation.

Understanding that used computers are also targeted by identity thieves, event partner Cintas will provide consumers the ability to have their computer hard drives, detached from the PC, printer, copier or scanner, destroyed on the spot for just $10 dollars per unit. Global Electric Electronic Processing (GEEP) of Michigan will also be collecting used desktops, laptops, keyboards, mice, DVD and VCR players free of charge. They will also accept computer monitors, printers and televisions for a fee ranging from $5 to $25 per unit.

All shredded paper, destroyed hard drives and electronic equipment from this event will be recycled to protect the environment and BBB staff will be on-site to provide expert advice and tips for identity theft protection.

Our Secure Your ID Day partner, GreenPath Debt Solutions, will also provide on-site certified counselors to educate about their services and schedule one-on-one counseling sessions.

“Identity theft starts with the misuse of your personally identifying information,” added Bennett. “By hosting the SECURE YOUR ID DAY we hope to educate and empower people to follow the “3 Ds” of identity theft protection – Deter, Detect and Defend.”

For more information visit http://detroit.bbb.org/secure-your-id/ or call Patrick Bennett at 248-799-0326.

###

The Better Business Bureau Serving Eastern Michigan is a non-profit organization with the purpose of assisting in the protection of consumers and businesses from fraud and unethical business practices in the local marketplace. In addition to its recognized dispute resolution services, BBB maintains reliability reports on the customer service history of more than 80,000 local businesses and provides consumer education materials on numerous topics. BBB provides its services free to the public and its service territory stretches across Eastern Michigan from Jackson/Ann Arbor through Metropolitan Detroit, Lansing, Flint, upward to Alpena, and covers the entire Upper Peninsula of the state.

GreenPath Debt Solutions is a nationwide, non-profit financial organization that assists consumers with credit card debt, housing debt and bankruptcy concerns. Our customized services and attainable solutions have been helping people achieve their financial goals since 1961. Headquartered in Farmington Hills, Michigan, GreenPath operates 61 full-time branch offices in Michigan, New York, New Hampshire, Colorado, Florida, Texas, Vermont, Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Arizona and Wyoming. GreenPath is a member of the National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC).  Our professional counselors are certified by the NFCC, and we are accredited by the Council on Accreditation (COA).  For more information, visit us at www.greenpath.com.

Cintas provides businesses with secure document shredding, storage and imaging programs. Its services are designed to provide data privacy and security, compliance with regulatory requirements and more efficient control and access to information. Cintas serves a variety of industries including insurance, healthcare, professional services, manufacturing, financial, government, automotive and legal institutions. In addition, it is the first North American AAA NAID-certified and PCI DSS compliant document management provider. For more information, visit www.cintas.com .

Global Electric Electronic Processing (GEEP) is a “global” electronic waste (e-waste) recycler.  We process e-waste according to ISO and Environmental Protection Agency standards at our GEEP facilities to the commodity level which is returned to the marketplace for reuse to conserve our natural resources.  Our services include asset inventory, data destruction, refurbishing & remarketing, de-manufacturing, shredding, and warehouse management.  For more information, visit www.geepglobal.com .

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