An eco-social business thrives in Brooklyn
“My Company Is Their Company.”
““This is the first job I’ve had where I was actually comfortable to come to work and I didn’t have to really worry about being judged or anything like that. Jonathan and G [the CEO and the founder] were people who accepted me, for me. I enjoy them. They enjoy me. My company is their company. So I feel like, me being here, it’s going to open up a lot of different doors for me and also for them as well.” ”
WALTER (Working and Learning Together Electronics Recycling) is a new and growing eco-social business located in Brownsville, Brooklyn, NYC. WALTER helps organizations and individuals in New York City to safely and responsibly dispose of their used electronics while providing job opportunities for young adults facing persistent barriers to employment.
WALTER offers the full cycle of proper disposal of used electronics from pick up service to secure data destruction. They repair and reuse everything possible. If an item is in too poor condition to reuse, they will use its component parts. If that's not an option either, they dismantle, sort and recycle for scrap with accredited local partners.
But WALTER is more than a regular e-waste recycler. It employs young adults who, because of systemic oppression and personal histories, would not be employed elsewhere. WALTER has a targeted open hiring process, looking for and prioritizing the young adults in the most difficulty.
In addition to giving young people jobs and financial security, WALTER engages individuals in a community where they can take on increasing responsibilities to help develop a business they can consider their own. Employees learn skills, gain experience and have mentorship that can lead to careers and other opportunities.
“Having the skills to dismantle something, to know how computers work, how a laptop works, how to clean a hard drive, I can go to different fields for those things and I’ll know how to do it and I’ll know how to do it well.”
WALTER is an outgrowth of ATD Fourth World’s Story Garden in Brownsville. Many of the youth who grow up with the Story Garden have great energy and entrepreneurial aspirations but lack opportunities for stable and meaningful work once they get older. WALTER wants to give them and their peers this opportunity.
Launched in March 2022, WALTER is growing rapidly. At the beginning of its second year, WALTER employs 10 people, including 5 young adults in a situation of exclusion and already 110,000 lbs of electronic waste have been properly recycled.
