E-waste company now handling 6 millon pounds of recyclables

Kelcy Dolan
Posted 2/5/15

In 2006 father and son team, Michael and Brent Mancuso, noticed Rhode Island was lacking a sufficient method of electronic waste recycling. They began Office Recycling Solutions (ORS). Now, ORS has …

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E-waste company now handling 6 millon pounds of recyclables

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In 2006 father and son team, Michael and Brent Mancuso, noticed Rhode Island was lacking a sufficient method of electronic waste recycling. They began Office Recycling Solutions (ORS). Now, ORS has worked in Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, Atlanta, Ga., and has collection contracts with 26 of the 39 municipalities of Rhode Island.

ORS is now one of the largest electronic waste recyclers in New England and handles more than 6 million pounds of E-waste a year.

Brent, owner and president, said in an interview Thursday, “We would be making deliveries and I would see televisions, monitors and other E-waste everywhere. The businesses just didn’t know how to dispose of it. Once we began ORS, we started getting non-stop calls from businesses who wanted to work with us.”

Eight years later, ORS has raised the bar yet again. In October, they received two accreditations, The Responsible Recycling, (R2:2013) and Recycling Industry Operating Standard (RIOS) accreditations.

Both accreditations are recognized by the Environmental Protection Agency and speak to the company’s ability to stick with strict standards for “environmental protection, worker health and safety, data privacy, and facility security.”

Due to the hazardous materials inherent in electronics, such as lead and mercury, improper disposal of electronics can lead to pollution and be harmful to both humans and animals.

Brent said, “There was a time when companies were just sending stuff anywhere, off to third world countries, and wouldn’t care to keep track of it all. We make sure these materials go to the right places. We only ship domestically and store them and track them until ‘end of life’, we don’t just forget about them.”

For businesses, there is a small fee to pick up the materials, but for schools, non-profits, and residents of the cities ORS has contracts with, the service is free. ORS has drop-off sites with portable storage units throughout the state where people can drop off old or dysfunctional electronics worry-free. The company has sites in some of the biggest cities in Rhode Island, including Providence, Warwick, Cranston and Pawtucket. ORS also partners with other big companies like Indie Cycle, who holds recycling events throughout Rhode Island.

“We are free and convenient,” Brent said. “It’s the responsible way of disposing of old beastly televisions or just any electronics. Our customers know that when they leave after dropping off electronic waste that we ensure it will be handled the safe and right way.”

Now with the new accreditations, ORS plans on branching out “service wise” as a universal waste recycler, handling other waste such as batteries and light bulbs.

Brent said, “Used electronics are one of the fastest growing segments of the waste stream. ORS is proud to be able to offer our certified, one-stop solution to meet our customers’ needs and demands for proper disposal and data security requirements.”

To learn more about ORS or their drop sites, visit their website, www.officerecyclingsolutions.com.

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