New South Burlington Business Aims to Repurpose E-waste

A record 62 million tons of electronic waste was produced in 2022, up 82 percent from 2010, according to the United Nations.

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): A new business model could help make a dent in the huge amounts of e-waste produced globally every year.

If it’s time for a spring clean, or your iPhone is four versions behind, think twice before tossing it all in the trash.

“E-waste is such a big problem that we are all faced with,” said Aaron Fastman, who runs a South Burlington franchise of PayMore, which buys old electronics to keep them out of the landfill.

He used to own a local 1-800-got-junk franchise for 13 years, and during that time, he saw just how many electronics end up in the landfill. “Just some of the rare earth materials -- the mercury, the lead -- the things that are inside the electronics are not good for the environment,” he said.

“So, having a place that can recirculate all of that physical media and put it back out there and make it so people can use it again is really nice,” said PayMore’s Mason Coon.

A record 62 million tons of electronic waste was produced in 2022, up 82 percent from 2010, according to the United Nations.

And there is a market for those who want to buy second-hand. “It’s just a fun time to be collecting old retro games, you know. They’re still cheap. I don’t see that staying that way, so whenever I see that posted, I just go look,” said Sam Resnik, a PayMore customer.

And at a time when phones keep everyone’s personal information, the store erases all data right in front of the customer.

Paymore has roughly 70 locations across the globe right now, hoping to expand to around 600 by the end of 2026, to keep waging the war against waste.

 Courtesy: www.wcax.com

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