Local companies salvage, resell, rework computers

While most people have heard of recycling aluminum cans and newspapers, they may not know it's also possible to recycle and resell computer monitors, hard drives and printer parts that have become obsolete.

Strip and salvage

At Rayco Computer Salvage, 536 E. Commercial, they've been selling and buying these used parts for two years.

"We purchase the computers and printers from the federal and state government and big businesses like Paul Mueller, Bass Pro Shops and Cox Health Systems," said store owner Ken Reiss.

Reiss, his three full-time employees and five high-school-age volunteers then completely disassemble the equipment all the way down to the screws.

This results in a pile for the motherboards, one for the hard drives, one for the processors, etc.

Then the equipment is tested by an employee with technical experience. Reiss keeps the equipment that can be resold to customers, many of whom are people who like to tinker or who make a living putting computers together and reselling them at a profit.

The parts that are salvageable but can't be fixed by the people at Rayco are shipped to a company in Canada. The company pays Rayco about 50 cents a pound for these parts. "There's a place there that can service the parts and get them working again," Reiss said. "Then those parts are sold again via the Internet."

If there's equipment that can't be repaired, it's sold by the pound to scrap dealers. Reiss also buys equipment from individuals who want to sell their old equipment to get something bigger or faster.

"We pay for fairly new stuff," he said. "I'm looking for a Pentium class processor or better, a central processing unit with a CD drive in it or a monitor that's 15-inch or better."

Reiss said he also offers a free pick-up service for old computer equipment.

Buy, sell or trade

Computer Renaissance, at 308 E. Republic Road, buys, sells and trades computer equipment. Employees test the equipment that comes in and, if it works, they sell it in the store. If it doesn't work, they send it to Rayco.

"We take any kind of computer hardware but don't really deal with software," said Renaissance store manager Shawn Roche.

He said that as long as it's a working component, Renaissance will buy it. The store sells and trades used and new equipment, but the used parts are their biggest niche.

"We try to deal with Pentium-class processors or above," Roche said.

The store sells Microsoft products because it is an original equipment manufacturer for those products.

Technology Today

Doug Pitt, the owner and president of Service World Computer Center, and his employees recycle computers by fixing them up for donation to schools in the R-XII School District through the Technology Today program.

This program of reconditioning donated used computers for schoolkids to use is Pitt's brainchild and is funded by a $50,000 gift from philanthropist John Q. Hammons.

"We've used the money to buy parts," Pitt said.

"The companies (who donate the computers) get a tax write-off while helping the school district," he said. "So it's a win-win situation for everyone."

However, Pitt said he doesn't accept just any computer hardware. "I'm looking for a Pentium 120 processor or better. The monitors can't be black-and-white; they must be color. The printers need to be laser or ink jet and not dot matrix, and in working order."

So far, approximately 150 computers have been repaired and placed in local schools through the program.