Where does your old computer and laptop go when you are done with it? Most e-waste is not recycled to reclaim its precious metal components, and it ends up in in landfills. Not a very lean process! That’s where organizations like Free Geek come in. They are a nonprofit organization in Portland (Oregon) that collects and refurbishes or recycles e-waste to keep as much material out of the landfill, and provide computers to those in need to help reduce the “digital divide.”
In this podcast, John Ashcraft of Free Geek shares how lean thinking has helped increase the number of laptops processed to reduce waste within their operations.
They received support for their process improvement work from a local volunteer group called Lean Portland. Maria Grzanka and Brion Hurley are also interviewed about their work with Free Geek.
Listen to the podcast at https://leanforhumans.podbean.com/e/episode-6-continuous-improvement-and-your-old-computer/