At a time when discarded electronics are piling up faster than ever, a Glastonbury entrepreneur is working to keep hazardous e-waste out of landfills and offering residents a surprisingly simple solution.
Glastonbury Electronics Recycling LLC, founded in 2018, provides free pickup and recycling services for unwanted computers, servers, and other electronic devices. The company operates out of Oak Street and serves both households and businesses across the region, focusing on convenience and environmental responsibility.
Owner Jason Felber is a computer support technician who spent more than a decade working in IT before pivoting toward sustainability. He launched Glastonbury Electronics Recycling with a straightforward idea: make it easier — and more appealing — for people to dispose of old technology properly.
The model works, he says, because while technology is changing rapidly there is still value in the parts of the devices we replace.
“There wasn’t much of an effort to recycle electronic waste until the mid 1990s, so not a lot of the e-waste that's been generated has been recycled.”
Recycled electronics, and particularly their circuit boards, contain small amounts of valuable metals, like gold, silver, copper and aluminum, that Jason says can be mined and resold.
“Anything that can’t be sold gets turned into scrap.”
Rather than sending discarded devices to the dump, Glastonbury Electronics Recycling disassembles, and sorts them. Usable components are refurbished or resold, while unusable materials are processed for metals and other resources.
This approach not only reduces landfill waste but also supports a secondary market for parts and refurbished machines.
The environmental stakes are high. Electronic waste contains toxic materials that can contaminate soil and water if improperly disposed of. Yet globally, only a fraction of e-waste is recycled, making local solutions like Jason’s increasingly important.
One of the company’s biggest draws is its no-cost model. Residents can drop off their used electronics (with the exception of TVs) at the company’s Oak Street location between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. weekdays. Businesses can schedule free bulk pickups.
Jason also offers free and secure data destruction as part of the process.
His business venture, he says, goes beyond providing a consumer convenience. His long-term vision includes expanding into broader environmental work and exploring how emerging technologies — like artificial intelligence — could improve waste processing systems.
“Community recycling is so important and I believe everyone has to do their part.”
Glastonbury Electronics Recycling LLC
160 Oak St., Building 3
Phone: 860-430-8400
Online: recycleglastonbury.com