Marissa Heffernan started working for Resource Recycling in January 2022 after spending several years as a reporter at a daily newspaper in Southwest Washington. After developing a special focus on recycling policy, they are also the editor of the monthly newsletter Policy Now. Heffernan can be contacted at [email protected].
Aurubis has managed to continue production despite its troubles, but Rönnskär is facing a several-week-long shutdown following a major fire. | Nuroon Jampaklai/Shutterstock
Three worker deaths and a theft ring investigation upset operations at an Aurubis facility in Hamburg, Germany, and a serious fire shut down production at Boliden’s Rönnskär’s copper smelter in Skelleftehamn, Sweden. Continue Reading
A report from the U.S. Public Interest Research Group estimated that taxpayers could save $1.8 billion on Chromebooks for schools if the devices’ lifespans were doubled. | Konstantin Savusia/Shutterstock
The U.S. Public Interest Research Group Education Fund says Google needs to extend the software expiration date of its Chromebooks. Continue Reading
Oregon’s SB 542 would require OEMs to make the same information they give to authorized repair shops available to independent shops and consumers. | JIPEN/Shutterstock
Public testimony on a proposed consumer electronics right-to-repair bill in Oregon spilled over into two days, with 19 speaking in favor and eight speaking against.
Commissioner Rubio hopes the donated computers will help bridge the digital divide. | Plus69/Shutterstock
A Portland, Ore. commissioner announced the city would be donating its old computers to nonprofit Free Geek to be redistributed, urging businesses to do so too. Continue Reading
The expenditure is part of the Biden-Harris administration’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. | Sergii Chernov/Shutterstock
The U.S. Department of Energy is making $192 million available for battery recycling advancements and the launch of a battery research and development consortium. Continue Reading
The recently released material is derived from small domestic appliances collected in the U.K. and the broader EU. | Courtesy of EMR Group
MBA Polymers UK has released a recycled content polymer in response to increased demand from electronics, automotive and cosmetics manufacturers. Continue Reading
The federal agency is chiefly concerned with the batteries’ propensity for starting fires. | Allyson Kitts/Shutterstock
The U.S. EPA recently clarified that lithium-ion batteries should be treated as hazardous waste, but did not yet change current recycling rules and regulations. Continue Reading
Having made it past the Senate, SB 244 has now gone further into the legislative process than any other right-to-repair bill in California. | V.stock/Shutterstock
A right-to-repair bill covering electronics and appliances moved forward in California, heading from the Senate to the Assembly after some amendments. Continue Reading
The RGX grant is part of the Office of Economic Development and International Trade’s efforts to boost innovation in the state. | People Image Studio/Shutterstock
A Colorado business looking to make ITAD services more accessible and more efficient for both customer and provider was awarded a state grant to support its efforts. Continue Reading
The latest e-scrap legislation in the Keystone State aims to address an accumulation of electronics that are expensive or difficult for residents to recycle. | ThamKC/Shutterstock
Two Pennsylvania senators are trying to restructure the current e-scrap recycling program to make it more efficient and convenient. Continue Reading