It’s not everyday that a “dump” run by former prisoners invites community residents over for cookies, but the electronics recycler known as Tech Dump has a lot to celebrate, not the least of which No less than is the opening of its new “Tech Discount” retail store. in St. Paul.
On Saturday, past and present residents and employees are welcome to enjoy cookies from Cookie Cart, a St. Paul-based non-profit to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Swing & Tech Dump in the recycling center’s new retail shop at 860 Vandalia St. Is. The event, from 12 to 2 p.m., will feature a tour of the recycling facility, ribbon cutting and music by DJ Mason Butler.
Tech Dump, which maintains another retail store in Golden Valley, has grown from 48 employees in early 2019 to 73 employees during the pandemic. The company is now one of the largest collectors of e-waste in the state, and has recycled 37 million pounds of electronics since inception. Nearly half of all employees have already been jailed or have had serious ramifications with the criminal justice system.
During the pandemic, Tech Dump partnered with Ramsey County on the TechPax initiative, which distributed refurbished laptops and technical support to workers who lost their jobs due to COVID. Electronics are collected in its warehouses, during collection events, via mail-in or pick-up service.
More information is online at techdump.org.
