An Amazon subsidiary will open a large facility in Pennsylvania to recycle data center equipment.

re:Cycle Reverse Logistics will be opening a 550,000 sq ft (51,100 sqm) decommissioning facility in Antrim Township, 170 miles from Philadelphia, in April 2024, according to the Echo.-Pilot news site.

The facility is expected to employ 300 to 500 people.

The facility itself is recycled: Amazon is repurposing a vacant industrial building, and will turn it into a "state-of-the-art center for the safe and responsible reuse and refurbishment of electronic equipment used in data centers.” according to re:Cycle spokesperson Lisa Anderson, quoted in the Central Penn Business Journal.

Amazon's re:Cycle subsidiary chose Pennsylvania to be close to its East Coast locations, and because the existing building was suitable and already zoned for industrial use, so the company could start operating quickly without disrupting other activities in the area.

Reverse logistics is the practice of disassembling retired equipment to recover usable components and raw materials. Amazon has developed reverse logistics hubs in-house and is now rolling them out more widely.