Abt Electronics unveils new recycling center

Abt Electronics, an 85-year-old independently-owned retailer of electronics, appliances and home goods in the U.S., has recently debuted its new 30,000-square-foot recycling center in an effort to become more efficient in its waste management and expand its commitment to sustainability.

The Glenview, Illinois-based company constructed its first onsite, 12,000-square-foot recycling center in 2008. The new recycling center, which is nearly three times larger, features state-of-the-art equipment including a GreenMax, Ontario, Canada, machine for recycling styrofoam. The machine melts styrofoam into raw materials used for picture frames, home construction materials and more. The center also has an auger compactor, a heavy-duty machine designed for compacting large volumes of waste materials.

"This was a significant, but important investment for the company," said Mike Abt, co-president of Abt Electronics. "We are committed to expanding our green program as the company continues to grow. One of our core values has always been to create a more sustainable world for future generations."

According to Abt Electronics, the company recycles 95 percent of its own waste—including cardboard, plastic, wood pallets, and packing materials in which merchandise is shipped in. Every year, Abt says its recycling efforts save 2.2 million pounds of cardboard and paper going to the local dump, over 350,000 pounds of styrofoam, over 13 million pounds of appliances and 1.4 million pounds of electronics from going to landfills.

In addition, Abt also accepts broken or unwanted electronics and appliances from their customers and the public. There is no fee to drop off unwanted items, no matter their size, the company says.