Researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory have developed an automated process for disassembling hard drives so their rare earth elements can be reused. That process, which aims to keep intact hard drives out of shredders, will be tested by a manufacturer in Tennessee. "This work will remove a major barrier to recycling critical magnet materials," Alex King, director of the...

Major consumer brands say they could use nearly 300 million pounds of post-consumer polypropylene for non-food-contact applications over the next few years. The Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR) released the results of its 2015-16 polypropylene (PP) "Fit for Use" survey, which asked consumer brands how much PP they could use. The survey was completed by 21 major consumer brand companies....

For decades, the recycling world has relied on weight-based recycling goals to drive materials recovery and, with it, reduce environmental harm. "Goals drive programs and actions, which makes it really important that we set the right goals," said Susan Robinson, federal affairs manager for Waste Management (WM). But she doesn't think weight-based goals are always the best tools for benchmarking...

Leaders in Canada's largest city have approved a goal of diverting 70 percent of residential materials from landfill by 2026. The citywide goal is one facet of a long-term waste strategy approved by city leaders in July. "Achieving a 70 percent residential waste diversion rate would make Toronto a leader amongst similar-sized cities in North America and worldwide," according to...

A recent survey from Greenpeace found more than half of respondents would be OK upgrading to new cellphone models less frequently.The environmental group's research found two-thirds of U.S. respondents said that when they buy new phones, their old ones are still functioning. Yet 54 percent indicated they'd be amenable to keeping their phones longer."It seems most people are sick of...

The Southeast region has welcomed a manufacturing operation that's hungry for recycled plastic. Custom Synthetic Fibers, a major polyester fiber production facility in Alabama, began operations in July and is moving to full production levels. The operation is backed by plastic recycling stakeholders. "We are focused on recycled polyester staple fiber, unless we have a customer that specifically wants virgin...

Manufacturers opposing California's statewide plastic bag ban have raised more than four times as much money as ban supporters. With about 10 weeks left until election day, bag manufacturers have donated $6.1 million to the American Progressive Bag Alliance (APBA), which aims to persuade voters to nix the statewide ban. Nearly half of the funding – or $2.78 million –...

Curbside recycling can put additional collection trucks on the road. But the recycling process ultimately brings environmental benefits that far outweigh the extra vehicle emissions, according to a study from Waste Management. The publicly traded hauling giant's research shows the greenhouse gas harm brought by extra routes needed for recycling collection pales in comparison to the environmental benefits materials recovery...

Auditors have started conducting surprise visits of R2-certified facilities outside North America to see whether they're following R2 standards. Meanwhile, Sustainable Electronics Recycling International (SERI), which houses the R2 standard, has started holding mandatory in-person trainings for auditors. The actions were recently announced in the SERI newsletter, which discussed how R2-certified companies can combat illegal exports of "focus materials" and...

A leaching method can effectively extract precious metals from e-scrap without using toxic chemicals, the product's creator said. British Columbia, Canada-based Mineworx said its HM X leach formula removes gold, palladium, platinum, silver and other metals from circuit boards and is safer than cyanide or other leaching formulas."You could essentially drink this," said Duane Nelson, president and CEO of Mineworx....