New Haven Independent

Rich Littlehale (pictured) is the co-founder of You Renew, a web-based operation that debuted in mid-March and has already taken in about 1,000 cell phones, cameras, DVDs and four other kinds of personal electronics, he said during an interview in his office at the Yale Entrepreneurial Institute. The institute, which supports student businesses, is conveniently located above Ashley’s ice cream shop on York Street.

Some of the items earn cash for the senders, while others are recycled to extract valuable components such as gold, silver and copper.

Littlehale and his partner, Bob Casey, were originally set to graduate in 2009 and 2010, respectively. But both have taken a year off to establish their business.

Littlehale said their business was inspired by learning that 130 million cell phones are turned over each year in the U.S., and only 10 percent of them are recycled, according to data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The rest are either tossed in the trash right away or stored by the owners until eventually many of them are probably tossed in the trash, too. They contain nasty elements like lead, cadmium and mercury, Littlehale said — “the worst things you could put in a landfill” (or burn and send up the smoke stack, in Connecticut’s case).

“Given the economic climate and the value of these devices,” he and Casey thought they could make a go of a business that offers convenience, environmental props, and possibly cash.

Here’s how it works: You can go to the site and check the left column of the home page to see what kinds of electronics they accept. Then you can fill in the name of the model you want to send in and answer questions, including what condition it’s in. Push the “We pay you” button and a price comes up if the company will buy the item. The price is determined by a “proprietary algorithm,” Littlehale said.

If a customer likes the price, he or she can download a free shipping label, slap it on a box and send it along. Since this outfit believes in “trust, but verify,” a staffer (they already have several part-time staffers) determines if the item is as promised by the seller before cutting a check. “So far everyone has been truthful,” Littlehale said, except for one person who misjudged the condition upward. But he was happy to take less money than originally offered.

If the item has no resale value, the company will still provide free shipping and send it along to an electronics recycler, who pays the company by the pound for the devices. “The recycling firm will shred the devices and harvest precious metals and even plastic, which is turned into park benches. It’s really a great system.”

Littlehale said the company doesn’t make much if any money on the recycling part of the business yet, but it’s an easy way to keep toxic junk out of the waste stream. But, he predicted, “electronics recycling will be a giant industry in the future.”