ORLANDO, Fla. — Tech gadgets are always in demand for Christmas gifts, but tons of electronic waste are sitting in landfills that could have been recycled. There's an Orlando man trying to reduce the growing problem with his electronic equipment repair business. 

Patrick Smith started tinkering with electronics at an early age.

"I was really fascinated by electronic equipment especially vacuum tubes and older stuff like that," he said.  

Smith will work on anything that plugs into a wall or runs on batteries including televisions, radios and game consoles of any age. It's a self-taught skill set that he uses to help his network of clients save money and memories. 

"They don’t expect that this type of thing can be fixed. They just said it was broken I’ve got to go get a new one and when they see me do the work or inform them that it’s been fixed they’re surprised,” he said.

While he enjoys helping people, for Smith, saving the environment is another reason he runs his SonicAge Stereo Repair business. 

“Electronic waste is a bigger problem now than it ever has been because tens of thousands of tons of it are thrown into landfills every year, and it might seem small but like I said every one that I fix it’s out of that landfill,” he said.

Many of his customers come from family or friends or online ads. Smith can be reached by emailing yamahafreak@cfl.rr.com.