Recovered materials processors have received a little holiday cheer. The value of most recyclables moved higher at the start of this month. For example, quotes from various buyers of scrap packaging show buyers are willing to pay about 67 cents per pound for aluminum cans, up 3 cents per pound from November (prices are for a truckload of bales picked up...

Key electronics recycling leaders, especially those from Asia, gathered in China recently to discuss the realities of e-scrap management from a global perspective. The Electronics & Cars Recycling event, sponsored by ICM, was held in Macau in mid-November. Circular sensibilities The consideration – and the debate – worldwide about the concept of a circular economy was a focus of the...

Paper industry experts are saying recent statistics indicate China's paperboard and paper producers are playing a lesser role in the global fiber recycling market. One key reason is China's ministry of industry has been successful in shuttering hundreds of old, polluting paper mills. A recent federal report notes that 37.8 million tons per year of capacity have been removed in...

Adding a thermal densifying unit helped improve the economics of expanded polystyrene recycling in Cochrane, Alberta. It increased the density and ability to ship, improving marketability. That was according to Sharon Howland of the Cochrane, Alberta solid waste program. Howland, who is also president of the Recycling Council of Albert (RCO), spoke recently at RCO's conference in the city of...

The biggest wireless carriers are marketing very attractive trade-in offers to get iPhone users to swap their old units for the new iPhone 7. AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon have all announced they are moving away from the current practice of charging customers the full value of a handset. Instead, the big carriers have decided to return to a marketing...

Logistics experts predict the current low costs of moving recyclables from processing plants to end-use mills will continue through the end of the year. Analysts say intermodal shippers (those using railroads to move containers or trailers) and those hiring trucks will be offering lower-than-usual rates in the next few months. An excess supply of truckers and railroad shipping capacity at...

Logistics experts predict the current low costs of moving recyclables from processing plants to end-use mills will continue through the end of the year. Analysts say intermodal shippers (those using railroads to move containers or trailers) and those hiring trucks will be offered lower-than-usual rates in the next few months. An excess supply of truckers and railroad shipping capacity at...

Logistics experts predict the current low costs of moving recyclables from processing plants to end-use mills will continue through the end of the year. Analysts say intermodal shippers (those using railroads to move containers or trailers) and those hiring trucks will be offering lower-than-usual rates in the next few months. An excess supply of truckers and railroad shipping capacity at...

An assessment by E-Scrap News shows the vast majority of the recovered electronic material handled in the U.S. is processed by companies employing third-party-certified environmental, health and safety practices. The E-Scrap News database of for-profit e-scrap reclaimers in the U.S. lists slightly more than 1,500 plants (it also includes another 80 facilities in Canada). Of those American operations, more than...

In a perverse manner, processors of obsolete electronics love stock market slumps because such phenomena can push up the value of precious metals. It's little surprise then that the recent decline in equity values caused by British voters is bringing smiles to some recycling executives.When stock prices decline, investors hunt for better investment opportunities. This flight to safety typically generates...