AKRON — From 8,000 scooters to 1,000 scooters, the team at Summit e-Waste, an electronics recycling company in Akron, has made big progress on its massive pile of defunct electric scooters over the last year.
In January 2024, News 5 visited the warehouse on Grant Street after neighbors asked why thousands of electric scooters were piled high outside the facility. When our crews went inside, the piles went to the ceiling.
"If you recall, you couldn't even walk back in here at all. Since then, we've worked our way through," said Ben Baker, vice president at Summit e-Waste.
The team is busy prepping the last 1,000 scooters, so they're ready to go in the spring. The job has been so intense over the last year that Summit e-Waste hired more staff to get it done.
"I had to pull some of my crew who usually do other jobs. The whole last year, all they've been doing is scooter-related things. I think a couple of them are tired of it," said Baker.
"Before the stories, we were trying to sell them on our own, getting to little to no attention, so it made all the difference," said Baker.
Even during the winter, Baker still receives calls about purchasing scooters. Although the waiting list is dwindling, priority still goes to Northeast Ohioans who would like a scooter of their own. You can call Summit e-Waste at 330-800-6657 if you're interested.
Spin sold Baker the lot for $100. The sales have made way for new opportunities for Baker and the team.
"Purchasing some new machinery, purchasing hopefully the building here so that we can set the machinery up and operate it and create some more jobs for people as well," said Baker.
