Photo courtesy of Quick Laptop Cash
Emory Peterson, CEO of Quick Laptop Cash, assembles a laptop with the necessary parts on Saturday, Oct. 11. The parts are originally from a separate device, but have been recycled by the company to construct a new laptop.

By Maddison Cervantes

Did you know that the carcinogens lodged within electronic devices are toxic to the brain, kidneys, bones and central nervous system?

According to Greenpeace International, lithium ion batteries and other chemicals such as beryllium, lead, chromium and mercury put workers at risk when the devices are both produced or disposed of. A particular concern is toxic exposure to children and pregnant women, which can cause issues in early development.

Former University of Nevada, Reno student Byron Anderson explained that Nevada has been struggling with the illegal dumping of these electronics, which can create toxic environments.

“I was going to UNR at the time for environmental engineering, and knowing the affects of these chemicals made me realize that there was a problem and a solution all in one,” Anderson said.

The idea for a company designed to recycle old electronics, such as laptops, smartphones and tablets, ignited a spark in Anderson’s mind. Shortly after, in his spare bedroom, Anderson built his business as the CFO of Quick Laptop Cash.

The company began as a mail order business, but has since expanded to a 2,500 square foot warehouse, located at 1285 Baring blvd. in Sparks.

Customers now buy and sell laptops from all 50 states.

Emory Peterson, Anderson’s partner and CEO of the company, explained that customers want to get paid for their old devices, along with upgrading for as cheaply as possible. Quick Laptop Cash specializes in both these categories.

The company pays owners for their old or broken electronics, cleans them, resets the software and resells them to keep the chemicals out of landfills.

“[The company] is almost like a junkyard for electronics,” Peterson said.

Although it is now a national company, Quick Laptop Cash has experienced particular successes in Reno thanks to its 10 percent student discount on all merchandise.

“We very commonly have students coming in, looking to get something affordable for their next semester at UNR,” Peterson said.

Peterson estimated that Quick Laptop Cash has sold laptops to an estimate of between 50 and 100 students at UNR since the start of the 2014 fall semester.

UNR sophomore Taylor Shaffer found that after three years of daily use, her laptop has become slow and outdated. She came across Quick Laptop Cash’s services, and found them to be convenient.

As a full-time student and employee, her hopes for a new laptop were seemingly unrealistic until Shaffer discovered the option to both make profit from her old device, and put it toward an inexpensive new one.

“A friend told me to look up [Quick Laptop Cash] because they will buy my laptop from me for the spare parts,” Shaffer said. “I could use the extra money.”

When informed that the company could potentially reward her with about $150 for her old device, a new laptop became a possibility for Shaffer.

“I never thought it [my laptop] would be worth anything,” Shaffer said. “That price will help me out immensely.”
Quick Laptop Cash is about to move, after two years at their current setting in Sparks, to a larger location in the region to continue accumulating a variety of electronics; moving toward more smartphones and tablets.

According to Anderson, their original goal was to give people a convenient way to sell their laptops while keeping the toxic chemicals out of landfills.

He explained that the new goal for Quick Laptop Cash is to make it apparent that there are businesses that make use out of old laptops, and to help the entire nation cut down on waste.

“The business is aimed at almost everyone now,” Anderson said. “From kids in school to parents with a job, having a computer is almost a requirement now. This means that they will eventually need to be replaced.”

More information can be found on Quick Laptop Cash’s blog:
http://www.quicklaptopcash.com/blog/what-can-you-do-with-broken-electronics-top-secrets-to-recycling-for-free

Maddison Cervantes can be reached at mcervantes@sagebrush.unr.edu.