E-Cycling with some cool cats

By Haley M. Walker

Seth Oxhandler agrees that his last name and Cool Cat Inc., the name of his company, are not easily forgotten.

Oxhandler is the CEO of a local technology company focused on management of services and the independent selling of software. While Cool Cat has been providing these services since its inception in New York City in 1999, Oxhandler has recently taken on a more unconventional method of profit. Approximately six months ago, the St. Augustine branch of the company began offering the service of electronic recycling.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, “E-Cycling” is a way of learning how to correctly recycle, reuse, and dispose of electronics. The agency has noted that electronic waste accounts for approximately 4 percent of U.S. municipal waste and is growing at two to three times faster than normal waste groups. In 2007, there was 2.5 million tons of reported electronic waste. Disparate from the large amount of waste being produced, the EPA also reported that only 18 percent of Americans were actually participating in the recycling of electronics during the same year.

Oxhandler said the idea of including this service into his own business was introduced to him through a friend who had begun an electronic recycling practice, EarthEcycle in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Oxhandler hopes the success of his personal involvement in the project is shown not only in profit but also in the ignited awareness of a local problem.

“It is an issue any place that it happens, but it is here in Florida because the aquifer is so close to the ground and the ground here is so porous,” said Oxhandler. “It’s not such a problem that it affects us immediately, but it is what our children will later drink.”

The EPA has noted that chemicals of concern in this area include products such as lead, mercury, several flame retardants and cadmium, all of which are found to be part of widely-used household electronics. For example, the EPA states that individual cathode ray tubes currently contain as much as 2 pounds of lead. Additionally, mercury can be found in light bulbs as well as computers.

“Anything with a circuit board in it has elements like lead, cadmium, the kinds of stuff that in hundreds of years is lethal,” said Oxhandler. “This stuff does not go away, so it can’t go in the ground.”

According to Oxhandler, the reasons for the increased amounts of electronics in landfills are due to both individuals as well as manufacturers. He states that the short life and rapid development of technology products contribute significantly to this issue. According to the National Safety Council Study, in 1998 20 million computers were replaced and disposed of. In 2007, the EPA had discovered that this number had doubled.

“The proliferation of electronic devices is not going to shrink,” said Oxhandler. “People should try to purchase ones that will last longer, have more functionality and ultimately require less power.”

—————————————-

For more information on Cool Cat Inc. and how you can donate to the local electronic recycling cause, visit www.coolcatinc.com or call 687-1245. Information on the prevalence of this issue can be found through the with the Environmental Protection Agency.

 —————————————-

Oxhandler believes that universal chargers could be a way to help.

“In the same way that people need to work together to make sure that this stuff doesn’t go into the ground, at the engineering and conception point the manufacturers should work on chargers that are universal.”

While the company already provides a unique service compared to other technology companies, Oxhandler also noted that Cool Cat’s program offers an EPA certified recycling system at no cost to the donator.

“Here we already pay a premium for garbage service, but if I have something electronic to throw out and I take it to the dump, I have to pay again,” said Oxhandler. “It costs the county less money and ultimately costs the tax payers less money.”

Oxhandler’s recent commitment to this cause has also spread to his family. Seth’s wife Brianna Oxhandler, owner of Willow Boutique, said she is truly realizing the impact of recycling and is now offering recycled clothing and accessories at her store on Spanish Street in downtown St. Augustine. Some of the new products include recycled silk scarves and hats, handbags made from recycled car tires, and belts and purses made from can tabs.

“I am happy we can have a positive effect on the community,” she said. “Using recycled materials reduces financial expenditure in the economy, and product savings are passed on to the consumer.”

Apart from the expansion of his own company’s local project, Oxhandler said he expects to also see advancement in the global awareness of this issue.

“We need to come to the point where the EPA has mandated for electronic recycling,” he said. “Not only do I think it will get to that point, but I think it has to. The less it is a foreign idea and more of a matter of fact acceptance, the greater its penetration to every aspect of what we do.”

Currently, Oxhandler noted the company is looking to expand the size of its storage facilities. The future annual goal of Cool Cat is to process between five and 10 million pounds of electronic waste each year. He hopes electronic recycling will eventually be included as another unforgettable feature of his company.

“Your whole life, if you have a piece of garbage, you’re not just going to throw it on the ground and this is the same kind of thing,” said Oxhandler. “The other side of this business is of course profit driven, and not that this isn’t, but we are trying to do the right thing, a good thing.”