HTML PLAIN TEXT COPY <h1>Watch: How one entrepreneur turns e-waste into jobs for the formerly incarcerated</h1> <p> <em>"This story was originally published by <a href="https://grist.org" title="Grist">Grist</a>. Sign up for Grist's <a href="https://go.grist.org/signup/weekly/partner?utm_campaign=republish-content&utm_medium=syndication&utm_source=partner" title="Weekly newsletter">weekly newsletter here</a>."</em> </p> <p>If you’ve ever had to dispose of an old electronic, you know it’s not a simple chuck-and-duck. Phones, computers, TVs, and other gadgets are full of metals and other materials that would be <a href="https://grist.org/living/investigation-reveals-where-our-e-waste-ends-up-and-it-aint-good/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">dangerous to dump</a> in a landfill. Finding a responsible avenue for recycling them isn’t always easy, either. </p> <p>Enter <a href="https://www.techdump.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Tech Dump</a>, a nonprofit run by <a href="https://grist.org/grist-50/2021/#amanda-lagrange" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Amanda LaGrange</a>, a recent honoree of our annual <a href="https://grist.org/grist-50/2021" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Grist 50</a> list. Her org employs formerly incarcerated people, who are trained in the business of recycling and repurposing millions of pounds of electronics each year. And with its retail arm, <a href="https://techdiscounts.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Tech Discounts</a>, that old tech can find a new life. </p> <p>This year’s <a href="https://grist.org/grist-50/2021" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Grist 50</a> features five short documentaries on innovators like LaGrange: emerging leaders — we call them Fixers — who are tackling climate and justice from every imaginable angle. Check out this video to see LaGrange and her tech-recycling team in action. </p> <p><em>[Previous video: </em><a href="https://grist.org/fix/earyn-mcgee-2021-grist-50-video-profile/"><em>The scientist bringing lizards to Instagram</em></a><em>]</em></p> <hr class="wp-block-separator" /> <p><em>Discover more Grist 50 honorees working toward a more sustainable, equitable world:</em></p> <ul class="wp-block-list"><li><em><span style="text-decoration: underline"><a href="https://grist.org/fix/social-media-fixers-follow-grist-50/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Social media gurus who will uplift your feed</a></span></em></li><li><em><span style="text-decoration: underline"><a href="https://grist.org/fix/grist-50-meet-five-fixers-who-put-food-on-your-table/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Innovators changing the way we think about food</a></span></em></li><li><em><span style="text-decoration: underline"><a href="https://grist.org/fix/grist-50-artist-fixers/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Artists producing provocative, justice-centering work </a></span></em></li><li><em>Explore the full <span style="text-decoration: underline"><a href="https://grist.org/grist-50/2021/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">2021 Grist 50 list</a></span> to discover more Fixers making a better future happen today</em></li></ul> <p>This article originally appeared in <a href="https://grist.org/">Grist</a> at <a href="https://grist.org/fix/waste/amanda-lagrange-2021-grist-50-video/">https://grist.org/fix/waste/amanda-lagrange-2021-grist-50-video/</a>.</p> <link href="https://grist.org/fix/waste/amanda-lagrange-2021-grist-50-video/" rel="canonical"/> <p>Grist is a nonprofit, independent media organization dedicated to telling stories of climate solutions and a just future. Learn more at <a href="https://grist.org/">Grist.org</a></p> <script id="grist-syndication-pixel" async src="https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id=" data-source="repub" data-canonical="https://grist.org/fix/waste/amanda-lagrange-2021-grist-50-video/" data-title="Watch: How one entrepreneur turns e-waste into jobs for the formerly incarcerated" crossorigin="anonymous"/>