Rochester–area e-recycler, Sunnking, expands into Binghamton market

BINGHAMTON — Brockport–based electronics recycler Sunnking, Inc. has expanded into the Binghamton region.

Earlier this year, Sunnking hired Ken Blaison, who founded and managed TechnoloCycle, Inc., a Binghamton electronics recycler, from 2008 until joining Sunnking. Blaison’s experience in both the industry and in the Southern Tier region made him a perfect fit for Sunnking’s plans to enter the Binghamton market, says Zachary Hussion, marketing and program manager at Sunnking.

“We have a pretty strong foothold in the Rochester and Buffalo markets,” Hussion says. Sunnking is based in Brockport and also has facilities in Rochester and the Buffalo area. “We’re looking to expand now outside the Rochester and Buffalo areas,” he says. Target markets include the Binghamton area, Syracuse, and Albany. 

Sunnking launched its Binghamton expansion in August with Blaison serving as material management executive.

There is a growing need for companies that provide electronics-recycling services across the state, Hussion says, since New York enacted the Electronic Equipment Recycling and Reuse Act in 2011. The law requires that all electronic waste such as computers, televisions, DVD players, and video-game consoles be disposed of in an environmentally responsible manner. The law applies to both residents and businesses. While it’s fairly easy for a resident to bring an old, unwanted television to a recycling drop-off location, there are challenges for businesses, Hussion says. That’s where Sunnking comes in — to work with customers such as a firm that just finished a companywide technology upgrade and has 100 old computers it doesn’t need anymore.

But Sunnking does more than just dispose of those items, Hussion notes. Sunnking actually refurbishes and resells usable equipment and recycles unusable items into their component parts. Sunnking then sells the usable items either at its own retail store or on eBay.

The components from recycled equipment are sold to vendors who will use the components — which can include metals and plastics — to make new products.

According to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, U.S. consumers throw away an estimated 400 million units of electronic equipment per year. Recycling that waste protects people and the environment by diverting waste from landfills, keeping toxins such as lead or mercury from contaminating the environment, and by conserving natural resources by allowing materials to be reclaimed and reused.

For businesses, recycling has other benefits as well, Hussion notes. “It can add value to your business,” he says. Sunnking can help businesses determine items that can be refurbished and reused by the company and, in some cases, Sunnking even pays out rebates to companies for their electronics waste.

To spread the word about those benefits to potential Binghamton–area customers, Hussion says Blaison is out there meeting with business prospects. Sunnking also sent a targeted mailing to strategic businesses that typically generate a lot of electronics waste including health-care facilities, information-technology companies, and manufacturers. In the Binghamton market, Sunnking competes with several electronics recycling companies including eco International in Vestal and REACT in Horseheads.

Hussion declined to share any revenue projections for Sunnking, but did note that the firm processed about 14 million pounds of electronics waste in 2011. This year, he hopes that number hits 20 million pounds.

Founded in 2000, Sunnking (www.sunnking.com) employs about 70 people companywide. Its president is Duane Beckett.