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].
S3107 would ban parts pairing and currently has no device exemptions carved out. | Rabanser/Shutterstock
Lawmakers in Rhode Island are considering a broad electronics right-to-repair bill that would ban parts pairing and currently does not include any exemptions. Continue Reading
In 2022, electronics recovery in Oregon decreased by 10%, according to a new state report. | Morten-B/Shutterstock
The amount of material Oregonians disposed of in 2022 dropped significantly from the year before, mainly due to fewer building-destroying wildfires, and electronics made up only 0.4% of the recycled materials.
About two years ago, iFixit and Samsung announced they were partnering on a Repair Hub, but iFixit ended the partnership in May 2024. | sasirin pamai/Shutterstock
After two years of trying – and some public pushing – iFixit ended its partnership with Samsung, citing the OEM’s lack of commitment.
If signed, S 254 would add more battery types beginning in January 2026. | JWPhotoworks/Shutterstock
A bill that would add rechargeable batteries and battery-containing products to Vermont’s existing stewardship program awaits the governor’s signature. Continue Reading
Amermin’s sorting and staging facility in Del Valle, Texas, funnels a variety of materials to the main processing facility in Lampasas, Texas. | Courtesy of AMERMIN
A Texas company that started out in oil and gas drill bit reclamation has now diversified into recovering e–scrap and other industrial material streams, and it’s adding facilities to house the growth. Continue Reading
CTIA’s voluntary wireless industry device grading standard was established in 2019 and is now aligned with SERI’s standard. | Valeri Luzina/Shutterstock
Repair shops that handle wireless devices will have a more straightforward time classifying devices after the wireless industry association aligned its grading standard with SERI’s standard. Continue Reading
Researchers at the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory are recovering manganese, magnesium, dysprosium and neodymium from e-scrap using a salt water-based solution. | Mike Perkins/Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Researchers at the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory found a way to recover some critical metals from e-scrap using a mixed-salt water-based solution. Continue Reading
New equipment will double EDI’s facility capacity, allowing it to process up to almost 500 kilograms of batteries per hour. | Ververidis Vasilis/Shutterstock
Ontario, Canada’s battery recycling is getting a boost after Call2Recycle and Electronic Distributors International installed new battery sorting technology, making EDI the only provider in North America using the technology. Continue Reading
The week of negotiations had moments of both hope and frustration for delegates, who are racing against the clock to create a final treaty. | Photo courtesy of IISD/ENB Kiara Worth
The fourth meeting to draft a global plastic pollution treaty ended just after 3 a.m. on April 30 with general agreement on the need for global rules and mandates on product design, composition, performance and extended producer responsibility.
Colorado’s HB 1121 would broaden the scope of the state’s current right-to-repair law, which covers wheelchairs and farm equipment. | Damon Shaw/Shutterstock
Colorado would expand its current right-to-repair law to include consumer devices and business computing under a bill that’s been sent to the governor. Continue Reading