A quick look at recycling
by Emma Masters
Having
worked at UniSA for over 30 years, since the days when computer punch cards were
the only way you could operate computers, it is little wonder many people know
Gary Quick, a developer with online services at the Flexible Learning Centre, as
the quintessential IT man. But he works with computers in more ways than one.
When Gary is not programming the next computer application that will help deliver more online tools to UniSA staff and students, he’s helping remove and recycle old computers that are otherwise destined for the dump.
“I’ve been recycling since the 1960s – my grandfather got me into it,” said Gary.
“One day he put a few taps, bits of copper pipe and wire into a paper bag and told me that when the paper bag was full, he’d take me down to the scrap yard, sell it and give me the money.
“I thought it was a bit of a joke at the time, but I filled up the bag and when he took me down and sold the scrap I was staggered by all the money I received. I was not even a teenager then – I was very impressed.
“So I started scrounging around and picking up junk people didn’t want.”
This humble beginning moved into a serious past time for Gary, but it wasn’t until the ‘80s that he began recycling computers, spurred on after going to public auctions.
“Out of a palette of auction gear there may have only been a few things I wanted, so I’d smash up the rest for recycling. It all snowballed from there,” he said.
“People now know I recycle computers and electrical equipment so I’m getting calls to collect equipment from all sorts of places. Most of the computer systems are turned to scrap metal, but there are some I can salvage for community groups to use.
“The older equipment is broken up and separated into different metal types ready for recycling. Some parts can be reused, like the strong magnets from hard drives that I give to schools. I also receive requests for older hard drive and printer motors, floppy and CD drives and various circuit boards.”
Not only is Gary helping people in different ways, but he is helping the environment by minimising landfill and preventing heavy metals leeching into the ground.
“Developing software applications, especially for UniSANet, is my job here but everybody knows what I really do,” he jokes.