A Day In The Life Of Owning And Operating An Ewaste Recycling Business In USA
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- Опубліковано 9 лют 2025
- In this video, I show you guys a day in the life of owning and operating an ewaste recycling business!
I own an electronics recycling business in USA which focuses on refurbishing and/or scrapping electronic devices to make sure that there is as little waste as possible.
As you can see in the video, owning and operating an ewaste recycling business is no small task. Not only do items have to be separated and grouped into their respective item classes, but margin calls need to be made as to which items will we resold to the public. The ability to do this comes down to two skills, understanding the market values of items as well as the ability to repair and prep said items for acquisition.
As an entrepreneur, it feels good to know that I am able to run my own business and keep the doors open. But, to know that my work has a positive effect on our environment by making sure that everything that passes through my facility is recycled or reused gives me a sense of pride I cannot explain!
The importance of recycling your old and/or unused electronics is because we harvest raw materials from the earth such as gold, silver, copper, aluminum and much more just to make said devices. For them to just sit in a drawer or closet once replaced is something that is unacceptable and should be addressed. If you are not using the device or if it is broken and you do not want to sell it online, the only other alternative should be to recycle it! That way, the materials used to make said device can be reused in new items in a multitude of industries instead of forcing us to harvest new materials, essentially depleting the earth! Please be responsible with your electronics and be part of a movement that will change the way the entire electronics industry functions!
I hope you enjoyed this video and gained some insight into the world of ewaste recycling and how important it is for our environment to keep these hazardous materials out of landfills!
If you enjoyed this video or found it interesting, it would mean a great deal to me if you would share this with your friends as well as subscribed to my channel. Help me get the word out so that more people act responsibly with their electronics that are unused!
Instagram: / officialaramjoseph
Visit aramjoseph.com to see my journey as an entrepreneur.
#ewaste #business #entrepreneur
New sub here. Been scrapping for several years myself and your videos are the most realistic and truthful. Good luck and good fortune.
Thank you very much for the support and good wishes! I really appreciate it!
@@AramJoseph❤
I own an e-waste business as well. I have taken it to another level as far as what we do, but pretty much looks like we have similar operations. At least from this video. Good stuff my man. Keep it up!
Its definitely an interesting business to say the least but if done right, it can be profitable! Thank you very much for the support!
How can I start doing the same in Hawaii
The 8-Bit Guy, Adrian Digital Basement, Noel's Retro Lab and the EEVblogs would be very happy to see all of these.....
😍😍😍
Looks like all good stuff. :)
I do eWaste project myself too! Love it
I can honestly say that I love what I do to the point where I can work from morning till night and then subsequently get upset at how quickly the time passes!
Can you make a video on the total price and steps for opening an ewaste business?
yo dude where can i find this place and can I buy things here? I'm looking to restore old computers from 1984 - 2004
Would love more of these
Thank you for the feedback! More coming soon!
Could you provide an update on how your doing. Have you thought about just removing the platters from the hard drive and snipping them. You can then take the board off the back and sell them, plus you can recycle the aluminum case for cash as well. Plus capture the gold pins that they have. Just a thought.
It's a nice video. Adlibbing is hard and you made it look very easy and kept it interesting.
Thank you very much for the support and compliment! Thankfully I talk a lot so it is not as difficult for me to come up with things to say lol!
I'm thinking about starting a business like this I would love to know more about the opportunities and possible drawbacks or bottlenecks you face?
Thats awesome! There are many opportunities and drawbacks to opening your own business. The primary means of profit for this business is by selling per pound. As such, a bottleneck would be the space where items are stored. Ultimately, if you are able to market the business well, then you will be able to survive, then thrive once the word gets out. At the end of the day, opening a business at a physical location will be a risk no matter how you look at it. There is no gaurentee that the business will succeed but you can increase your percentage of success by doing as much research as possible before jumping in. Best of luck on your new venture!
Hey! I'm doing a pilot project to see if E waste business is for me, I love it tbh.
Aram a great job along with business,you are contributing a lot towards environment thanks
I'm getting ready to start a business like this but on a small scale. I would be tearing down everything by hand and recovering the precious metals.
That is awesome to hear! Which state were you thinking about establishing the business in?
@@AramJoseph I live in iowa and I've already have my tax identification number and such. It's just rough starting all over from scratch while not having the proper financing.
@@crazedhero07 I hear you and understand where you are coming from more than you would believe! This is exactly why I also will be making videos on the entrepreneurship journey. I can say one thing, before I leased my warehouse, I was looking for one that would fit my needs without choking me out in payments. I sat there for months and months looking everyday on craigslist, loopnet and the such, all in the hopes of getting a "deal" of a lease so that I could feel "comfortable" enough to jump into the business. The truth is that I got to a point where I realized almost a year was going to pass and I was still trying to be "ready". In the end, I said to myself, "Aram, if you really believe that you have what it takes to make it, then prove it". Soon after, I found a warehouse that was more than I was willing to pay but one that I was willing to jump into and deal with the pressure. Keep in mind, at this point, I was 10 months away from my wedding, with rising costs of almost $60K (50K of which was still due at that point). The reason why I am saying all of this is because I had a choice; either continue what I was doing, or taking a huge risk (by incurring thousands a month in expenses) with the possibility of either completely failing or finding success. At this point, I could not have sparred a single dollar, but I did it anyway because I believe that without risk taking or being uncomfortable, I will not go very far. BUT, and this is a big but, the risk wasn't just any risk, it was calculated. Anyway, my apologies on the rant, I wanted to be helpful to you by letting you know what I went through in the hopes that you understand that the road to anything great wont be easy, but if you push and keep at it, you will make it! Best of luck to you on your new venture, please let me know if you have any other questions, I am more than happy to help!
@@AramJoseph I live in the country so space I got. Sadly after the drecho we had In August we lost the part of the machine shed that I was gonna turn into my shop. With fema denying any financial assistance I'm gonna need to build my shop but at least I can salvage the tin and got enough salvageable wood that I could at least build my foundry room. I'm also looking into grants and such to help get a foothold.
@crazedhero07 what part of iowa are you in? I too live in iowa and have thought about making my hobby, that pays me (lol), into a business. Would like to pick your mind if possible..
Hi Aram! Im looking to start an E-waste recycling business in my area. I was wondering what kind of tips you have. Also what do you do with all the plastics and non valuable material just curious because I can’t imagine sorting through the plastic to see what’s recyclable or not.
P.s I posted this before watching the video so I apologize if I’m asking questions that were answered in the video
I feel your pain wrapping them pallets, I literally hate it more every time! Great Content!!
Who will buy them and where you get those?
Bro! Keep making videos like these I’ll like the shit of them.
Thank you very much for the support bro, I really appreciate it!
What brand of electronic piano are those? I would love to see your laptop collection! Keep it! DDR 3 isn't that bad! I wonder how many tons of rare earth metals go to waste, compared to how much energy, cost, work & effort goes to mine then....
Keeping the environment clean is very important to me.
How do you start this type of recycling business?
Absolutely! I would suggest going to your states website and reading up on recycling and see if there are any directions on how to get started!
Great video. Who are you palletizing those for? What type of company buys the monitors and towers and tvs from you? I understand the salvaging and reselling of certain parts, but not sure who to sell the bulk stuff to. Please let me know. Very much appreciated.
We palletize them and sell them to a sorting facilities that then further breaks them apart to their according categories. The best way to find these buyers is to go to your states website and search for approved recyclers under the ewaste or hazardous waste sections. Thank you for your question and interest! Glad you liked the video!
So much stuff here that should be saved!
How do you get your connections with pickup locations? Do you just call and ask?
Aram congratulations on getting to this step in the industry, you definitely have the right mindset! What state are you in and do they require you to be licensed?
Tip: The fresnel lenses in projector TVs are in demand for solar ovens and other uses. The lens pops right out of the frame after removing a few screws. I highly recommend collecting them for resale!
Hi Scott, thank you very much for the tip, I will keep it in mind when coming across projector tv's!
@@AramJoseph Here's a video about how to harvest and use the lenses.
ua-cam.com/video/NSUeyjQMHTU/v-deo.html
I`ve been doing a lot of self-research but what places who lie about recycling can I avoid so I can take stuff to places that will actually reuse stuff. I heard best buy was a good place. But is there more places like this company too?
The best thing I would suggest would be to go to your states or cities website and navigate to the ewaste or hazardous waste list in order to get access to licensed recyclers. From there, you can research each business and see what their process is! Thank you for your comment and interest in properly recycling and reusing your electronics!
I do the same as well. Just started full time on 8/11. Subscribed to your channel!
Thank you for the support and best of luck to both of us on our journey! Just subscribed to your channel as well!
Aram Joseph thanks so much! 🙏🏾😊🛠
CoCo The Geek how has business been?
@@indooroutdoor8524 business has been amazing. I have pickups tomorrow and 2 more days this week. More may come in later this week. But I have more than enough to keep me busy. How are you doing?
Idk what kinda volume you're doing, but it would probably be worth it to demanufacture the PCs/servers/networks that you get (that aren't good enough to resell as used) and sell the steel, power supply, motherboards, RAM, processors, finger cards as separate scrap.
I completely agree with you! That is exactly my intention and ambition for this business. Unfortunately and fortunately, I am very limited in space, therefore causing me to make less money by selling the units as complete instead of parted out. I am actively looking for a larger warehouse and when I do, I will do exactly what you stated and disassemble computers and servers to their individual components! Thank you for the input, it is appreciated!
any tips on how to inventory what you will use for refurbs? thanks
Why does everyone like throwing away things? Im an electronic collector, and i cant understand how people can throw away things like phones, laptops, computers and all other stuff.
To be quite honest, I think it comes down to a lack of awareness in the community. Before I opened up my business, my family would accumulate old electronics in our garage. It is only in the last few years that things have changed. This is another reason why I started this channel. I want to bring awareness to the ewaste industry in the hopes of being a positive change!
@@AramJoseph You are electronic collector? I too colecting throwed away e-waste stuffs,motors etc..repairing dismantling and recycling this founded stuffs for copper brass etc you may look at my channel and sub if you want
@@TECHNICUSChannel Yes, I am an ewaste collector in the United States! Where are you from? Ill definitely check it out, thank you for the support!
@@AramJoseph iam from europe from poland :) nice to meet you and your channel
I'm gonna watch your videos and hopefully get some information on how one starts an ewaste business from scratch I'm not wanting to do this for monetary gain but to help do my part obviously no one starts anything without monetary gain so I'm not ignorant but I am not sure what legal things need to happen so I don't get in trouble cuz I've already started collecting random ewaste anytime I come across any Wich isn't often enough to have tons so I've been doing research on how to get or buy more at the moment and I know what type of equipment I would buy if I had the funding inorder to improve the amount of processing that can be attained so I have a plan and will start even if it never gets past this point I would still do it in attempt of helping I have my plan but I know it's flawed and may not turn into any type of profitable business but I'd like to help more and unfortunately the only way is if I can make money to invest into itself thank you for posting stuff like this it will help others help everyone in a good way I know I'm paying attention
Wish you best of luck in your endeavor!
Thank you for checking out my video, I am glad it gave you some value!
Do you have a site to where people can buy refurbished computers and laptops as well as monitors ?
Im curious. Do you verify if thus stuff is actually broken?
Hi.where do you get your recyclables????
do you ever look at what's on the hard drives? also what do you do with solid state drives?
You don't check the hard drives to see if there's any bitcoin first?
I was wondering how do you advertise your business? Flyers? Website? Facebook etc?
I created a website as well as business listings on Google and Yelp. Thats pretty much all of the advertising I have done for the business. Let me know if you have any other questions as I am more than happy to answer them!
Keep an eye out for vintage electronics. That mouse in the thumbnail is worth quite a lot.
I have a question: can you sell those DC motor? Because many will buy that stuff and me to i love to create stuff out of broken old electronics but electronics that has chemicals to them i will sell them in the best recycling store in the country
Hello, which dc motors are you referring to?
Can you just keep the hardrive drives ?
Where can one buy electronic scrap?
Hello, I would try to contact recyclers directly but some states require specific licenses to be allowed to handle said waste. Let me know if I can help answer any other question you may have!
Why do you destroy the Harddrives ? Formatting and it would be fine
I do format the Hard Drives regardless, but sometimes the customers desire for the hard drives to be physically destroyed for further assurances that their information is safe. In such cases, the materials used to make up the hard drive are then scrapped and sold per pound to a facility that completely destroys them. Ultimately, the materials are then reused in the manufacturing of new products, creating a full circle. Thank you for your question, I appreciate the perspective! Hope the rest of the video was to your liking!
@@AramJoseph Yeah it was.
U have wifi routher any company or wuawei
Epic business man !
Thank you! 👍
How do you get leads
I love your video
Why would the old prepaid phones have value?
Hello Aram, Are you still in business? If so How would I get ahold of you? I'm in the business in Austin, Texas. looking for a vendor for monitors. Good video BTW.
I fix broken tvs that I found on the streets, the way you piling on top of each other on a pallet will guarantee they can't be fix ever again, good job.
You are correct, the way my business stacks flat screen tv's makes their repair difficult to impossible. I appreciate your input as well as the work you conduct which brings life back into broken/unwanted tv's. That being said, the state that I am in has complete control over the process of recycling tv's; causing recyclers such as myself to be restricted from repairing and reintroducing said tv's back into the public. We are told to package them this way because their next stop is the sorting facility where they are broken down further into their individual composing materials. From there, said materials are reused in a multitude of industries, making a full circle. I hope that is gave a little insight into why I do things the way that I do in my video's. Ideally, I would love to save every piece of electronics that I come across, but for now, I must follow the process until I have a large enough voice to be able to make a difference in this industry. Thank you for watching my video and giving your input, I always appreciate hearing others perspectives!
@@AramJoseph I see they dont give a real chance to electronics to be reuse, I heard most electronics are not even recycle, they are extremely hard to break down to the smallest pieces and they rather just discard them, not all of them but most of them, like most states around the country still do, shame to that.
You are on the profitable track: Repair of "Recycled" electronics runs about 80 percent or better.
That 'waste' is shipped out of 1st world countries, to where repair is legal and skilled technicians are cheap.
Those repaired electronics are usually sold internationally as "Factory Refurbished" , which I guess a good team of lawyers and 2nd/3rd world government officials can defend
Also, older PCs and home electronics are in high demand in many countries which have restricted trade issues
I am glad you recycle electronics! I try to recycle as many electronics I can at my local Best Buy! There are so many of these devices that end up in land fills which make me so upset.
Thank you for the support! I am glad to hear that you feel that way and do your best to make the world a cleaner place! I initially entered into this industry for the business aspect of it but soon became passionate about recycling after seeing the other side of the industry.
The best thing to do is to fix, sell, or reuse
@@AramJoseph great work
I am also a scrap metal and electronic recycler. It's good to see another fellow e-waste recycler recycling responsibly. Do you get paid for e-scrap breakage (printers & keyboards) or is there a small fee to recycle?
Thank you for the support! In all honesty, I stopped taking breakage because I was getting .03 $/lb; causing me to realize that it was not worth the space it was taking in my smaller warehouse. I always shied away from charging customers after the first few times because I saw the reaction and decided to not go down that route.
Good stuff bro keep going... 👍
Thank you very much! I appreciate the support!
Hello Aram! I was wondering how the company collects all of those items? By donations or looking for them in the scrapyard. Would like to hear your answer about this, regards.
what about electric drill? :)
That can be used for hard drives as well! You just have to be careful to not let the drill slip from your hand while on the hard drive if you don's use a bracket!
Nice video, I was wondering how much per pound does computers go for? & why don't you put all wires in one bin & sell them to scrap yards? as you might get more for your wire
Thank you! For the computers, I get around .27 cents/lb and for the wires, i get the same price that the local scrap yard gives. The reason why I mix the wires and the screens is because my warehouse is very tight most of the time and allocating a single pallet to wires wont be the most efficient use of space for me because I dont get enough to warrant a separate pallet. Nonetheless, I plan on selling it as separate wires when I get into a larger warehouse soon!
The plastic makes such an insane sound on 10:10
Funny enough, each plastic wrap has an almost unique sound!
Jake Stewart E Waste Riisyling free pickup trailer
Can I know why you cant resell those things for poor countries....
Wanna reply...
Love your content...💖♥️
Watching from the UK and couldn't agree more with your closing mission statement. Keep fighting the good fight!!
Thank you very much for the support! I am glad that you liked the video!
If can I get hands on the computers.. I can make work most of the systems..
I am doing same business here
Thats awesome! Do you also try to salvage items that can be reused?
@@AramJoseph hi
@@AramJoseph hi, I am resale computer parts
@@AramJoseph I want to take to you, can you please share your whatsApp number
Hello, I am from Saudi Arabia and I love the work you are doing! Keep it up.. I also wanted to know if it is possible to contact you as I have some questions.
Hello, thank you for the support!
Yes, you can contact me through my website, it has a place for an email.
But you can erase the hard drives and sell them
I would like to buy from you memory ram sticks, cpu,s, computer slot cards, hard drives boards.
Bailey sage Murray bridge Thank you for Jake Stewart
super..., I like love recycling its my passion...
Same here! Thank you for the support!
20 y later, those will worth thousands of $ each.
As vintage tech yes.
He was not be a cord cutter is there anime no money in cutting boards and getting the copper out of them? Or dishes take too much time.
You answered my question thank you
Thank you for checking out my video, I hope it was informative!
music starts...
CHANGE CHANNEL !
This made my night! Thank you for this!
Shred it all get us shredder
I'm actually actively looking for a shredder but they are all more than $20K!
@@AramJoseph Yep it's nuts make change Hammer
👏👏👍
Thank you! Glad you liked it!
SELL TO BOARDSORT!!!
Do you charge to pickup ewaste?
It all depends on what is being picked up as well as the amount. If it were items that are primarily computers and the such, then there would not be a charge. On the other hand, if it were items that are primarily plastics such as printers, keyboards, etc., then there would be a charge. Hope that answered your question!
Why does everyone on UA-cam have to make video wit the dumb fast forwarding that loud annoying music a minute or the whole video and especially when you are talking and skipping everything parts not just recording it and uploading it?
♻️♻️
By destroying the hard drives, not only are you wasting money, you are also adding me re to waste.
I can understand form the outside how it may look that way, but I can assure you that nothing goes to waste. Hard drives are destroyed when customers request their personal information safely destroyed, as such, we destroy them. From there, the hard drives are shred at another facility and are then separated according to their respective individual materials. Finally, those materials separated materials are melted and reused in specific industries that use such materials, ultimately creating a full circle. Thank you for your input though, I always appreciate hearing peoples perspectives! Nonetheless, I hope that you enjoyed the rest of the video!
but where are they sold to ( the gaylord of monitors )
They are sent off to a sorting facility where they are broken down.
Aww that Apple hard drive
not interested , you zelf not know to manage your business .
awesome brother, I too run an ewaste operation in new jersey, im planing on blogging in hopes to get people educated in recycling. check out our channel. best regards
Si many funes
I am Pakistani I am enter your country in work no money no money please help I am Electronics working I am hard working please invite me your country zero balance no money help me bro thank u Veri Mach