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].
The E-Cycle Washington program reported that 93% of the materials collected in 2021 were recycled. | Huguette Roe/Shutterstock
Seven processors handled electronics under E-Cycle Washington’s program in 2021, sending recovered commodities to downstreams all around the globe.
The bipartisan infrastructure bill passed last year provides about $350 million to the U.S. EPA over several years to fund recycling infrastructure and education grants. | RozenskiP/Shutterstock
The U.S. EPA is working to build several grant programs from the ground up thanks to an influx of money from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and it is reaching out to stakeholders to make sure the education, recycling infrastructure and battery programs will meet industry needs.
A newly developed reputation ranking system of select ITAD firms used six criteria to award stars, all based on customer feedback. | UnderhilStudio/Shutterstock
All Green Electronics Recycling, Cascade Asset Management and ERI scored the top three spots on a recent ITAD vendor reputation rating by Compliance Standards.
A report said the world’s stock of raw elements is at risk of running out and called for industries to shift away from mining the Earth to mining old devices for needed material. | Cam Laird/Shutterstock
A study on global metals recycling identified feedstock reliability, technology limitations and product design choices as barriers to increasing recycled metal usage.
Dell’s Lifecycle Hub will track inventory, repair or replace devices, handle upgrades, facilitate responsible device disposition and more. | Ken Wolter/Shutterstock
Dell is moving deeper into the ITAD realm, recently debuting an all-in-one asset management hub.
A presenter at NERC’s Spring 2022 Conference noted wireless headphones among the many battery-containing devices that are challenging for recycling processors. | aperturesound/Shutterstock
The looming wave of lithium-ion batteries that will need to be recycled generated an engaged discussion at the Northeast Recycling Council’s Spring 2022 Conference.
If the bill passes, South Carolina will be the second state to move to a clearinghouse-style EPR program. | Grindstone Media Group/Shutterstock
South Carolina’s legislature is working out the final details on a bill that eliminates weight targets for electronics collection and instead aims to give consumers easy access to drop off items.
North Carolina’s pounds collected per-capita fell to 2.12 pounds in 2020-21. | Serge Cornu/Shutterstock
COVID-19 impacts and ongoing trends in the materials stream made a major impact on the North Carolina state e-scrap program last year.
Li-Cycle has opened a 140,000 square-foot facility in Arizona with a capacity to process 10,000 tons of materials per year. | Courtesy of Li-Cycle
Lithium-ion battery recyclers are moving forward with new facilities, with Li-Cycle bringing a plant on-line and Blue Whale Materials announcing plans for five plants in the U.S. and Europe.
California state legislators are considering a battery stewardship bill. | Steve Heap/Shutterstock
This story has been corrected.
A California bill would create an extended producer responsibility program for batteries and battery-embedded products.