Afterlife Electronics is a company that wants to do more with less - less solid waste buried in West Virginia landfills.
Based in rural Wirt County, the family-owned business seeks to recover materials from electronic products so their owners don't have to dispose of the worn out computers and other equipment in landfills.
Chris Drennen, 47, a native of Roane County, Afterlife Electronics said he and his family have guided the company to gather electronics equipment from businesses, schools and individuals. The company subscribes to a simple formula: "Our mission at Afterlife Electronics Recycling is to keep as much as possible out of our landfill; that's why we work to make sure everything is recycled from the electronics we get."
Drennen comes from a recycling background. His father's business in Roane County - D&D Enterprises - specializes in ferrous and nonferrous metal recycling.
Drennen, who works with his wife, Corinna, and sons Jarrett and Zack, said his company takes apart the equip-ment it receives and segregates it - plastics in one bin, metals, glass and other materials in separate containers.
The family identified an emerging trend several years ago: Disposal of old electronic equipment was becoming a challenge for businesses and others. The company received a large truckload of computers from a school system and realized the business could take apart the old equipment and salvage plastics and other materials.
"Anything you can bring us, we'll recycle it - anything electronic - the steel, the wire, the plastics," Drennen said. "We take it apart by hand." He said his business then sells those recovered materials to companies that specialize in recycling.
Drennen said he is aware that some American businesses have gathered recyclable electronic equipment and shipped it overseas, where companies may not be committed to handling the materials in an environmentally responsible way. That's not the case with Afterlife Electronics, he said.
"None of the material we recycle goes across the pond," Drennen said. "We try to keep it in West Virginia, and what we can't we make sure stays in the United States."In fact, he said, the company provides certificates to customers that assure the material it receives will be handled in an environmentally responsible way.
For example, he said, Afterlife sends computer tubes to an Ohio company qualified to handle the materials. State laws continue to evolve across the nation, driving more businesses and individuals to send old electronics to recyclers rather than landfills.
Karen Facemyer, president of the Wood County-based Polymer Alliance Zone and a member of the state Senate, said PAZ has worked with Afterlife Electronics to schedule equipment dropoffs to encourage recycling. She said several businesses in the region are involved in recycling electronics materials.
Facemyer said the West Virginia Legislature has adopted a law that goes into effect Jan. 1, 2011, that prohibits companies and individuals from disposing of electronics equipment in landfills.
Facemyer, who helped push the legislation, said she sees the change in the law and Afterlife Electronics' proximity to Ohio opening some doors for the business and benefiting other businesses in the region.
The Drennens also see the new law creating more opportunities for Afterlife Electronics. In fact, Chris Drennen said the company may be in expansion mode before long.
