Tech companies are seeing boosted demand for environmental leadership, and e-scrap management concerns continue to mark developing countries. An enterprise in Europe is working to help out on both fronts. Closing the Loop is a Netherlands-based business that contracts with T-Mobile and other wireless industry stakeholders to provide those companies with a mobile device "offset" program. Under the model, wireless...

Oregon's environmental agency has released research that suggests several popular packaging attributes - including "recyclable" and "recycled content" - do not consistently result in lower-impact products. The 106-page report from the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) was finalized this summer but is just now being publicized. It continues Oregon DEQ's efforts to frame decision-making in the context of sustainable...

Oregon's environmental agency has released research that suggests several popular packaging attributes - including "recyclable" and "recycled content" - do not consistently result in lower-impact products. The 106-page report from the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) was finalized this summer but is just now being publicized. It continues Oregon DEQ's efforts to frame decision-making in the context of sustainable...

As they look to attract more multinational clients, processors have realized they need to expand their footprints. A U.S. company's recent move shows how strategic partnerships can fit into that international equation. Fresno, Calif.-based ERI, which operates seven processing facilities in the U.S., this fall announced an agreement with Enviroserve, an e-scrap company with a presence across Africa and the...

This article originally appeared in the November 2018 issue of Resource Recycling. Subscribe today for access to all print content.   When the city of Seattle recently put out an RFP for a 10-year hauling contract, it included a noteworthy request: primary fleets that leverage energy-saving fuel sources. The Seattle contract, which covers collection of waste, recycling and organics, was awarded to...

At the Electronics Reuse Conference this week, a number of speakers delivered practical tools and tips that can help refurb operations boost efficiency and profitability. Hosted by consulting firm E-Reuse Services, the event was the 15th iteration of the conference and drew 374 professionals from the device repair sector to Nashville, Tenn. Workshops and sessions covered a wide spectrum of...

This article originally appeared in the October 2018 issue of Resource Recycling. Subscribe today for access to all print content.   Tim Townsend is an environmental engineer and professor at the University of Florida who has extensively studied a variety waste-related issues over the past decade. His current work taps right into a key question among forward-looking materials recovery professionals: How do...

The ReWall Company, which manufactures building materials from recovered food and drink cartons, is planning to open a $3 million facility in Colorado next spring. The site will be the second for ReWall. The manufacturer currently runs a plant in Des Moines, Iowa. In an interview, ReWall CEO Jan Rayman said the company's decision to site location number two in...

A professor in the West Bank who has worked to stop dangerous processing methods explains the power of social pressure.

This article originally appeared in the Summer 2018 issue of E-Scrap News. Subscribe today for access to all print content.   Brand owners, government leaders, trade associations and others are increasingly referencing the notion of a circular economy when outlining goals and strategies. At its most basic level, a circular economy is a system geared toward recovering materials and efficiently moving them...