Fliptech, Warriewood: Austin Turpin blossoms from teen e-waste entrepreneur to computer recycling boss

An entrepreneur was just 15 when he founded his recycling company for redundant electronics in the garage of his family’s northern beaches home. Now, at age 20, he has eight employees.

Austin Turpin, the founder of Fliptech, was just 15 years old when he founded his recycling company.

A trip to the tip – where he spotted a mountain of discarded laptops, servers and computers – sparked an enthusiastic Newport entrepreneur to set up an e-waste recycling business when he was just 15 years old.

Austin Turpin, now aged 20, has expanded his firm, Fliptech, from the garage at his family’s home, to now include eight employees and clients right across the country.

Fliptech takes computer equipment from private businesses or government agencies that’s reached its used-by-date, and either refurbishes and sells it, or breaks its down and recycles the usable components.

It even harvests rare precious metals such as gold, silver and platinum, from the computers.

Austin was 14 when he saw the computers piled up at the Kimbriki tip in Ingleside where he took the trip with his dad.

Part of the e-waste collection at the Kimbriki tip at Ingleside in 2010.

He worked out that he could make a bit of money by getting hold of the old equipment, refurbishing it and selling it on eBay for as low as $20.

His mates at Manly Selective High School were already building their own computers and gave him a few tips.

Fliptech, based at Warriewood, refurbishes and then sells discarded computer equipment.

A year later he founded Fliptech, with the backing of his mum Julia Turner, after realising there was a massive local need for redundant electronics to be recycled.

Austin said only about 17 per cent of electronic devices in Australia were successfully recycled.

“That’s something I wanted to change,” he said on Friday.

Redundant computer gear can be given a second life by Fliptech.

“It was mind blowing, the amount of computers that were being thrown out. There is so much being discarded, that doesn’t need to be.

“E-waste is the fastest growing category of waste in the world, but it’s the least recycled.

“I feel like I’m at the tip of the iceberg here.”

Austin said Fliptech offers a “cheap, or free pick-up of end-of-life devices”.

Austin Turpin, the founder of Fliptech.

“Almost 100 per cent of the electronics we collect get recycled instead of going to landfill.”

Fliptech also donates a portion of the refurbished computers to charities including Manly’s Royal Far West, which offers health support to kids from regional NSW.

“We sell the refurbished computers. They re-enter the Australian market as second-hand devices, that are still relatively new at two or three years old, that people can buy for about 50pc of the recommended retail price.

Fliptech also erases, or sanitises, all the data stored on the computers before they are resold or recycled, at its secure headquarters at Warriewood.