Website recycles phones into charity

Florida Today

Conrad Melancon founded eRecyclingNetwork.com on Merritt Island with his wife Dania to recover unused cell phones and electronics that otherwise might get thrown into the trash. They then take the proceeds to donate to charitable causes.

Tucked away in drawers, closets and storage bins is a resource worth millions to electronics recyclers and, by extension, to charities and individuals.

A Merritt Island couple has created an online business that could help recover these unused cell phones and electronic devices and the route the proceeds to charities and people who need the money. 

 "There is an alternative to letting them sit around your house," Conrad Melancon, founder of eRecyclingNetwork.com, on Merritt Island, said. 

Some 30 million computers are replaced every month, and the average cellular phone user upgrades to a new phone every nine months. Some in the industry estimate that a half billion cell phones await recycling in the U.S. This old equipment rarely is recycled.

"Most people know that they shouldn't just throw them away because it's bad for the environment," Melancon, who runs the company with his wife, Dania, said. "Eventually, they do end up throwing them away."

Working with a Minnesota electronics recycler, Melancon has set up a website that will allow users to determine the value of their used devices and print a mailing label, so it costs nothing to mail the device in for reimbursement.

"They can trade in their old products and use that to defray the cost of their new product," Melancon said. The deal applies to 11 electronic products, including cameras, laptops, flat-screen TVs and GPS units.

With the help of the website, a person can also select a charity to receive the proceeds, if they don't want to keep the money.

"The value of everything is dependent on the make the model and the condition," Melancon said.

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