Computer giant Dell says it is closing in on its goal of collecting 2 billion pounds of used electronics by 2020. According to the sustainability report, Dell-backed programs worldwide recovered 168 million pounds of material in the company's 2016 fiscal year.That brings the company's total to 1.6 billion pounds since 2008, when it began charting progress toward the 2020 goal.The...

Updated WEEE regulations begin to affect the U.K. collection system, and one market report predicts huge growth for the global e-scrap industry. U.K.: A neighborhood in London has become the first community in Great Britain to invoke a new section of the country's WEEE regulations that requires waste management companies to service WEEE collection sites even if the community is...

More small and difficult-to-recycle wearable electronics are entering the marketplace, presenting future challenges for those attempting to recover them. A recent report from the International Data Corporation predicts shipments of new wearable electronics will increase 29 percent in 2016, compared with last year. The Framingham, Mass.-based consulting and research company estimates a 20.3 percent compound annual growth rate through 2020...

Global computing giant Dell is now using recycled plastics from electronics, water bottles and CD cases in 48 of its products. According to its latest sustainability report, Dell increased its use of recycled plastic to 14.1 million pounds in 2016. That's 20 percent higher than the company's use of 11.7 million pounds in 2015. The company has been making use...

Some plastics recycling professionals supported the U.K. remaining in the European Union, and Ireland could create lots of jobs by recycling at home. United Kingdom: A solid majority of plastic recycling professionals attending a conference in the U.K. signaled their support for the country remaining in the European Union. According to the nonprofit group Recycling of Used Plastics Limited (RECOUP), 65...

The extended producer responsibility program for packaging in Portugal has seen improving recovery volumes in recent years. Joao Letras, the director of waste management for Ponte Verde, the Portuguese compliance system, recently noted the program works with every municipality in the country. The system is funded by 10,000 packaging stewards that pay recycling fees. These communities collect 14 material categories,...

California presses felony charges over an e-scrap company's alleged violations of hazardous waste laws, and communities in New Jersey and Wisconsin reduce or eliminate collections because of costs. Hazardous waste violations: The owner of a Southern California e-scrap firm faces felony charges for violating state hazardous waste control laws, according to the California Department of Toxic Substances Control. Five felony...

Through the first four months of 2016, export volumes of recovered plastics were 7.7 percent lower than totals from this time last year. In April, the most recent month for which figures are available, scrap plastics exports totaled 401.67 million pounds, an increase of 11.8 percent from March 2016 export levels. That marked the third straight month of volume gains...

A trade group for paper sack manufacturers has made publicly available a recycling symbol and information kit on recycling. With the effort, the Paper Shipping Sack Manufacturers' Association (PSSMA) aims to increase recycling of unlined paper shipping sacks, which are used to ship bulk foods. The recycling symbol, available for download on the PSSMA website, can be printed on unlined...

Tissue manufacturer Cascades will open a $64 million operation outside of Portland, Ore. to produce both virgin and recycled-content tissues and paper towels. The tissue-converting plant will be located in Scappoose, Ore. and is expected to produce around 58,400 tons of product annually. Key conversion lines will be commissioned next year, the company announced in a press release. Quebec-based Cascades is...