Why does our work matter?

Simply put, our work reduces America's output of electronic waste. The United States is one of the world's largest producer of electronic waste (e-waste) at more than 3 million tons produced annually. Only 25% of that waste is collected, refurbished and put back into the marketplace for reuse. Our passion is rooted in a determination to rid our St. Louis neighborhoods of hazardous waste sites, dumping, and degrading living conditions. Simultaneously we spent countless hours improving our technical repair skills and business model. Through our business and driven by our passion STL SMARTphones recycles discarded electronics from our local partners, then we refurbish and resell those devices to our customers. This simple action fills a gap created by a lack of comprehensive buyback programs from mobile device manufacturers and lack of affordable repair/refurb options for customers.

Above: May 2020. Preowned or refurbished devices doesn't mean broken, and unpresentable. STL SMARTphones sells gently used and parts devices ready for use. Whichever the case, we are transparent about the specs and journey of each device.

Our work matters because if we don't stop the flow of repairable electronics to dumps then we continue to degrade our local and foreign environments while burying precious minerals and metals at the same time. Our work matters because repairs create jobs that support local families. Our work matters because we can rest assured knowing we did not contribute to the dumping of e-waste in local or non-domestic neighborhoods.

Above: August 2020 we gained our first bulk collection client. We were able to save over 600 pounds of desktop and laptop computers, LCDs, power supplies, cables and accessories from the landfill. Everything is not pictured above. The majority of the laptops were refurbished and then sold to local and foreign markets. Some were salvaged for their valuable processors, and components. The remainder were salvaged for their precious metals and destroyed.

Over the years, we have increased our skillsets to match the growing challenges of refurbishing mobile devices. We provide board level micro soldering services if a customer's device doesn't respond to charger or took a dive in the swimming pool. Our days of collecting old flip phones are long gone. Nowadays, we receive televisions, medical equipment, security and personal cameras, radio equipment, satellite phones, even appliances like stoves and refrigerators. All of these devices contain precious metals and valuables similar to our smartphones. We welcome and embrace the challenge of reducing America's contribute to the e-waste cycle.

Above: Our first client called with a bulk load. So we brought the largest truck we could immediately. Hey, the job was done and were able to keep these devices from the landfill.

Everything we do matters. It matters to us. It matters to our communities. It matters in the global scheme of things.