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Wisetek Solutions, Inc., from Steelhead to Electronics Recovery for the Environment

I (Thomas Hogye) came into the electronics recycling world by way of my work to save Pacific Coast Steelhead and Coho Salmon in Santa Cruz.  How on earth does that happen?

By 2000 I’d spent 5 years working to change the habitat, mindset, awareness, water quantity and angling regulations on the San Lorenzo River.

The environment has always been an important part of my life, enjoying the outdoors since my child hood; idolizing my grandfather, a champion bass fisherman, who I was convinced could angle any species in any body of water anywhere in the world.

I was recruited. To save the environment. But it was in a very different environment. Electronics.

My career began collecting solder dross, circuit boards, and other precious metals bearing electronics for the purposes of collecting, processing and returning these materials to a state where they could beneficially be used again.  (After eleven years in business school, I had to look up what “dross” was.) I ultimately couldn’t fathom someone throwing something away, or shipping it elsewhere, only to be buried, or used in a way that harmed the environment and those living within it. I realized that electronic equipment had an enormous impact on our environment, globally.

From solder dross to circuit boards and components, this evolved to the equitable recovery of reusable parts (memory, hard drives, processors), then whole devices from laptops to entire data center take downs and large infrastructure asset recovery.  Where a company has a “shredder” and an electronics expert both for reuse and recycling, it also becomes an opportunity for us to work with producers on topics like Design for Recycling (DFR) and Design for the Environment (DFE). In addition, we are also able to provide for “secure destruction” involving prototypes, mistakes, government, defense and other materials that must be destroyed, but are also made of completely recyclable materials

Wisetek Solutions operates five processing facilities in the US – California, Texas, Maryland, Massachusetts, Virginia.  In Europe and Asia, we have facilities in Dublin and Cork, Ireland, the United Kingdom, Dubai, Thailand, with several partner facilities in virtually every technology region in the world.

Our business specializes in working with OEM’s and large enterprise organizations with thousands of employees refreshing IT assets, often called an IT asset management and disposition program.   We help our customers integrate their internal ITAM systems with our ITAD services, with comprehensive reporting for financial accountability. We provide producer responsibility take back programs and large infrastructure data center services from equipment removal, onsite data sanitization, onsite physical destruction of data containing devices.

If it is electronic in nature, powered by a cord, solar or a battery, chances are, Wisetek Solutions has had some involvement as these items are designed, used and retired from one life to the next.   With an unwavering commitment to environmental stewardship, Wisetek holds the highest standard as a global committed e-Steward Certified company. Today Wisetek is working closely on the new “circular economy” and with many of the newest organizations in renewable energy, transportation, applications, and manufacturing, researching opportunities to help our customers do what’s best, what’s right and what’s most equitable for the growth of their business, the protection of their brand, and the preservation of our environment across the globe. 

If your company is in need of a service provider around IT / Data Center or any electronic equipment recovery and recycling services, I can help you develop a strong sustainable, equitable and environmentally sound solution.    

If you require data device destruction services and/or the recovery and recycling of manufacturing materials, prototypes, EV batteries,... I can help you with a solution.

TomH@wisetekusa.com