Back to Top

Author Archives: Marissa Heffernan

About Marissa Heffernan

Marissa HeffernanMarissa Heffernan started working for Resource Recycling in January 2022 after spending several years as a reporter at a daily newspaper in Southwest Washington. She can be contacted at [email protected].

Global smartphone shipments fall in second quarter

Published: July 28, 2022
Updated:

by
Smartphones in store.

An analyst noted that component supply backups and cost pressures are starting to ease up, but there are still some problems with logistics and production. | Kwangmoozaa/Shutterstock

Demand for smartphones is starting to decline, with research finding that worldwide smartphone shipments fell 9% in the second quarter of 2022, compared to the same period last year.

Continue Reading

Posted in News, Top stories | Tagged , |

Equipment Spotlight: Impact mill handles lithium-ion batteries

Published: July 28, 2022
Updated:

by
Battery Master Mill

The Battery Master Mill is designed for the post-treatment and ball shaping of anode and cathode material to remove the black mass from the anode and cathode foils. | Courtesy of swissRTec

Recycling technology company swissRTec has developed the Battery Master Mill to handle anode and cathode material from lithium-ion batteries.
Continue Reading

Posted in News | Tagged , |

Acid-free tech will make rare earth recycling more feasible

Published: July 21, 2022
Updated:

by
Circuit boards gathered for recycling.

An acid-free dissolution method can selectively target rare earths for extraction. | Bokstaz/Shutterstock

A technology that will allow recyclers to extract valuable metals from e-scrap like shredded hard drives without affecting the other materials is entering its pilot plant stage.

Continue Reading

Posted in News, Top stories | Tagged , , , |

South Carolina e-scrap overhaul signed into law 

Published: July 14, 2022
Updated:

by
South Carolina capitol building with gardens.

E-scrap collection in South Carolina is set to undergo some major modifications. | Jon Bilous/Shutterstock

South Carolina’s e-scrap program will be seeing significant changes in the coming year after the governor signed House Bill 4775 into law.  Continue Reading

Study finds consumers want faster, more secure trade-in

Published: July 8, 2022
Updated:

by
Used cellphones stacked for recycling.

Device trade-in processes could be improved to capture more of the 550 million devices estimated to be in U.S. homes. | kronikarz.com/Shutterstock

A survey from one industry company finds U.S. consumers would trade in more used mobile phones if there was a price guarantee and better customer service in general.

Continue Reading

Posted in News | Tagged |

BAN director gives his take on recent Basel amendment

Published: June 30, 2022
Updated:

by
Cargo containers stacked at a shipping terminal.

New e-scrap export oversight regulations will mean changes for e-scrap processors who ship overseas. | mayday6510/Shutterstock

The director of the Basel Action Network shared his thoughts in a recent webinar on an amendment to the Basel Convention and outlined what he sees as the next steps, including digitizing the prior informed consent procedure.

Continue Reading

‘One for one’ project pairs new phones with old

Published: June 23, 2022
Updated:

by
Used cell phones arranged on a blue background.

Closing the Loop is partnering with Vodafone Germany to scale up its collection of broken phones in African countries for recycling. | Xolodan/Shutterstock

Vodafone and Closing the Loop have partnered together with the goal of recycling one used device from a country that lacks formal recycling capacity for every phone Vodafone sells in Germany.

Continue Reading

Posted in News, Top stories | Tagged , , |

HP shares recycling vendor audits, content goals

Published: June 23, 2022
Updated:

by
HP laptop on desk with black background.

HP’s sustainability report notes in 2021 the company used 4,300 tons of recycled metal in its products, which is about 0.4% of its total metal use. | Tran Phan Thanh/Shutterstock

HP used three companies to refurbish and reuse its devices in 2021 and about 40 recyclers, according to its annual report.

Continue Reading