Company also recycles consumer electronic goods at its Morgan Hill facility

Photo by Robert Airoldi
Wayne Gluhan, left, senior director of business development, and Albert Lozano, CEO/president of DG Global, in their Morgan Hill facility.

By Robert Airoldi

Digital Green Global ensures all end-of-life electronics and e-waste are properly handled and recycled. The Morgan Hill-based company provides their clients with an environmentally friendly way to make sure the digital devices are carefully and safely managed at the end of their usage.

“There’s a lot of pressure on Silicon Valley companies to be green, so recycling is the way to go,” President/CEO Albert Lozano said.

It often boggles his mind the variety and number of different devices DG Global gets from its customers. “Even prototypes that never make it to market,” he said.

Lozano has been in the e-waste business for three decades, starting the company with John Victor. His  original goal was to work at Intel, but he started as an intern for a San Jose e-waste company. Then he and Wayne Gluhan met at another company 20 years ago. They stayed in touch and eventually Gluhan joined DG Global in 2017, now serving as senior director of business development.

“Technology moves so fast and with all the changes these large corporations need help,” Gluhan said. “That includes servers, laptops, cables, circuit boards, you name it, we handle it.”

Lozano describes what happens when a Silicon Valley company or consumer is done with old electronics. Often, people decide to dispose of outdated devices by dumping them in the trash. The e-waste then make its way to the landfill— and even developing countries. The toxic components go unregulated into the environment.  That poses a threat to the planet.

Others decide to recycle their e-waste. While this is the most environmentally sound solution, e-waste can find its way into the wrong hands. According to the World Economic Forum, only 20 percent of the world’s e-waste is properly handled. It is important to find an e-waste recycler who is qualified and certified to guarantee that your e-waste is being handled in compliance with all state and federal standards/regulations.

When DG Global gets e-waste they evaluate and test it for reuse or refurbishment. Reuse, or redeployment, is the ideal way to extend the life of the device, Gluhan said.  If they can’t reuse, they will tear down and recycle the e-waste/equipment for precious metal recovery, working with certified downstream partners, ensuring the e-waste is responsibly recycled. At the end of the day, they want to decrease the amount of e-waste that ends up in landfills.

The company’s facility is chock full of barrels and bins stacked almost to the ceiling holding every type of old computer equipment. Often they can’t recycle, refurbish or reuse, so workers tear down the components for the precious metals inside.

“A lot is spot market pricing and it can change daily, like some of the precious metals that are in some of the circuit boards and other pieces of equipment,” Lozano said.

Gluhan, whose background is in semiconductor sales, sold chips to many of the companies DG Global now works with. He said he took a short break then got back into e-waste.

“A big, big issue with these high tech companies is security on their equipment and data storage,” he said. “They want to know where it’s going. We have proprietary systems and software to track, report and audit everything that comes through our doors. It’s detailed with everything we pick up. Not a lot of companies have this type of system.”

It’s almost like surgery on a piece of equipment he said about how detailed they are when dismantling the various pieces of equipment they work on. Also, industry certifications are vital.

“Certifications carry a lot of weight with these high tech companies,” Gluhan said. “It shows that you are keeping your standards high.”

One important feature the company offers its clients is they can log into DG Global’s system and see where in the process their equipment may be, Lozano said.

“Transparency is key,” he said.

Apple partners with DG Global to ensure their devices do not have a negative impact on the environment. “We are thrilled for this dynamic group of innovators to take their important work to the next level with help from our Impact Accelerator, and we are proud to deepen our commitment to working with partners around the country to ensure environmental progress and equity go hand in hand,” said Lisa Jackson, Apple’s vice president of environment, policy, and social initiatives.

“We’re delighted to be offered the opportunity to partner with Apple on such vital issues,” Lozano said. “Our business was founded on the desire to reduce environmental impact while providing progressive and sustainable solutions. As such, our values are in perfect alignment with those of Apple.”