A comprehensive report prepared for the Closed Loop Foundation digs deep into the current recycling landscape for e-scrap and electrical appliances. It also notes the industry needs to equip itself to handle a shifting material stream.
The study was drafted by Jason Linnell, executive director of the National Center for Electronics Recycling, and Carole Mars and Christopher Nafe of the Sustainability Consortium at Arizona State University.
“Moving forward, electronics and electrical equipment will continue to become smaller and lighter as technology evolves, and the system that manages them at the end of their first useful lives will also need to evolve to make the most of the opportunities presented by these devices,” the 94-page analysis concludes in part.
The writers delivered various recommendations for improving e-scrap recycling, focusing on the areas of collection, innovation and overall system support.
In preparing the report, the researchers relied heavily on interviews conducted last year with e-scrap industry stakeholders. [Disclosure: Dylan de Thomas, editorial director for Resource Recycling and E-Scrap News, was interviewed by the research team.]
A total of 37 organizations participated.
The Closed Loop Foundation is part of the the Closed Loop Fund, which was established in 2014 by Walmart and other corporate giants to help bolster North American recycling.