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Author Archives: Colin Staub

About Colin Staub

Colin-StaubColin Staub is a reporter at Resource Recycling. He can be contacted at [email protected].

UN issues ‘immediate call’ for greater e-scrap recovery

Published: March 21, 2024
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The U.N.’s fourth Global E-Waste Monitor report estimated 62 million metric tons of end-of-life electronics and electrical appliances were generated in 2022, of which 22.3% were recycled through formal collection systems. | SAPhotog/Shutterstock

A global analysis from the United Nations found that electronics and electrical equipment are reaching end of life at a quantity and speed that is far outpacing the recycling sector’s capacity to collect and process that material. Still, the global collection rate is on the rise. Continue Reading

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Battery fires burn ‘really fast’ and ‘really hot’

Published: March 21, 2024
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Vinod Singh of Far West Recycling speaks during an Association of Oregon Recyclers presentation on recycling facility battery fires in February. | Dan Holtmeyer/Resource Recycling

At a Portland, Oregon-area transfer station, site superintendent Matt Tracy has noticed smaller lithium-ion batteries often behave like fireworks when they go into thermal runaway: They move erratically and can even become projectiles. Continue Reading

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Federal program seeks to ‘defragment’ e-scrap sector

Published: March 14, 2024
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The U.S. Department of Energy’s Electronics Scrap Materials Recycling Prize is a multi-phase competition for a range of electronics recycling industry players. | Morten B/Shutterstock

A technology manager with the U.S. Department of Energy said improving e-scrap management fits squarely within the federal government’s material sourcing and climate goals. That’s why the agency has launched a new funding and technical assistance opportunity targeting electronics recovery. Continue Reading

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ITAD report ranks companies’ marketing results

Published: March 14, 2024
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ITAD research and advising firm Compliance Standards shared the first edition of its ITAD Marketing Leadership Tracker. | NicoElNino/Shutterstock

Which processor has the most aggressive marketing campaign? Who is getting the most traffic from search engine results? How is the overall ITAD industry faring in site visits? An analysis from Compliance Standards has the answers. Continue Reading

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Component values sting Iron Mountain’s ITAD revenue

Published: March 7, 2024
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Iron Mountain truck.

Iron Mountain reported $5.48 billion in full-year revenue for 2023, up 7% year over year, but its net income dropped 67%. | Bandersnatch/Shutterstock

Data management firm Iron Mountain reported a 67% decrease in income in 2023 compared to the prior year, largely because of macroeconomic forces but also due to lower resale market prices. Company executives said they’re optimistic about the company’s growing ITAD operations, however.

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A new ITAD firm starts up in Texas

Published: March 7, 2024
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eCircular’s 38,000-square-foot facility has a processing target of about 50,000 units per month. | Courtesy eCircular

Led by a team that includes industry veterans, Houston, Texas-based ITAD firm eCircular announced its official launch on Feb. 28. A company leader says the venture will be able to fill an underserved portion of the ITAD market and help other processors as well.

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Processor employs robotics to process robotics

Published: February 29, 2024
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Robotic sorting systems that have reached end of life are being processed by ITAD firm First America. | Courtesy of First America

Robotic sorting systems are increasingly making their way into e-scrap and ITAD facilities, where they help categorize, sort and even disassemble devices. Now, they’re entering one processor’s facilities as part of the end-of-life stream. Continue Reading

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Sims resells more devices, driving higher profits

Published: February 21, 2024
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Sims Lifecycle Services repurposed 2.5 million devices during the 2024 fiscal half-year, up 39% from the half-year prior. | Rattanapong/Shutterstock

Global ITAD firm Sims Lifecycle Services repurposed 700,000 more devices in the first half of its 2024 fiscal year compared with the prior-year period, representing the third year in a row of significant growth in device volume. Continue Reading

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Repair groups call on regulators to draft rules

Published: December 13, 2023
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Exterior of the FTC building in Washington, D.C.

Multiple groups are calling for the Federal Trade Commission to set a national right-to-repair standard. | Mark Van Scyoc/Shutterstock

Advocates for electronics repair last month delivered a petition asking the Federal Trade Commission to craft rules to prohibit manufacturers from restricting repair of their products. Continue Reading

Sims rolls out robotic disassembly system

Published: February 15, 2024
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MOLG’s robotic disassembly equipment adds automation to Sims Lifecycle Services’ data center decommissioning segment. | Photo courtesy MOLG

Looking to automate its demanufacturing process, Sims Lifecycle Services has installed robotic disassembly equipment at its data center decommissioning operations.  Continue Reading

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