Sage Sustainable Electronics has announced the opening of its Repurposing Center in Reno, Nevada. The facility complements Sage’s flagship Repurposing Center in Columbus that opened in early January.

“Sage is changing what companies can expect when they retire technology,” said president Jill Vaské. “We work with businesses of every size to find new life and greater value for their old IT equipment. And we guarantee their confidential information is safe in the process.”

“The typical electronics disposition (ITAD) company literally shreds a large percentage of everything they receive,” according to Sage CEO Robert Houghton. “They call it recycling, but it’s really a wasted opportunity.”  

“The gains from reusing more and recycling less go right back to the customer,” Houghton said. When recycling is necessary, Sage relies on its strategic partner, Hugo Neu Recycling, a best-in-class, e-Stewards certified electronics recycler.

The Reno facility will serve businesses throughout the western states. “Our Reno location is particularly advantageous for California companies because logistics costs will be more than offset by the savings in sales taxes,” Vaské stated. Sage accepts all types of technology for repurposing, including computers, phones and tablets, and data center equipment – in short, everything managed by a typical corporate IT department.

Sage suggests that companies in the process of replacing old IT equipment track their “Reusable Yield”— the percentage of total retirements that go to reuse vs. recycling. “A five year old laptop may only be worth $100,” said Houghton. “But the value of the raw materials recovered by recycling would be less than $5,” he noted.  “Reusable Yield is the metric that best predicts the financial and sustainability results from your asset disposition process.”

The Reno facility will be followed closely by a new Repurposing Center in Baltimore early in the second quarter. The company plans additional centers during the second half of 2015.