E-Scrap News magazine is the premier trade journal for electronics recycling and refurbishment experts. It offers updates on the latest equipment and technology, details trends in electronics recycling legislation, highlights the work of innovative processors, and covers all the other critical industry news.
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As the COVID-19 pandemic unfolded in March, Best Buy and others halted e-scrap collection. | LukeandKarla.Travel/Shutterstock
Certainly, the past year has been one like no other. And in the electronics recycling and ITAD industry, the global pandemic was just one of many developments shaping business conditions. Legal tussles, issues around low-value materials, and commodity market volatility were all e-scrap industry realities in 2020 as well.
Ingram Micro’s new ITAD operation in Mexico was built inside of a 120,000-square-foot distribution warehouse. | Courtesy of Ingram Micro.
Many companies in the ITAD sector are searching for the best way to expand into international markets. For Ingram Micro, the playbook is clear: Follow the flow of new hardware.
Apple’s battery-throttling controversy has helped fuel right-to-repair conversations.| Attila Fodemesi/Shutterstock
Apple has agreed to settle allegations that the company concealed iPhone battery problems rather than informing customers or replacing the batteries.
Walgreens recently agreed to pay $3.50 million to settle a lawsuit alleging company employees dropped electronics, batteries and other hazardous materials into dumpsters headed to municipal landfills. | Sundry Photography/Shutterstock
Retailers in recent months have agreed to pay over $8 million to settle accusations they illegally landfilled electronics and other hazardous waste in California. In one case, trashed e-scrap was suspected to have ignited two fires.
Logitech estimates it will have shipped more than 50 million devices that include recycled plastic by the end of 2021. | Marco Curaba/Shutterstock
Logitech has used more post-consumer plastic in its keyboards, mice, webcams and other products over the past three years.
With a capacity of 6,000 pounds per hour, URT’s system was designed to handle the amount of shredded e-plastic generated in URT’s Janesville, Wis. plant on a single shift. | Courtesy of URT.
URT has installed equipment at its Wisconsin headquarters allowing the company to produce clean e-plastic fractions for sale to domestic buyers.
The Small Business Administration recently disclosed detailed information on all recipients of Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) funds through Nov. 24, 2020. | NIKCOA/Shutterstock
The federal government has released details on all Paycheck Protection Program loan recipients, allowing E-Scrap News to chart the money’s impact on the electronics recycling industry.
Because the U.S. is not a party to the Basel Convention, exports to the 180-plus countries that are parties to the convention will be more complicated, or may even be prohibited by local laws. | AnkaFed/Shutterstock
The U.S. government has made public an agreement with Canada to continue shipments of scrap plastic, including e-plastics, despite global regulations tightening next year. Environmental advocates are troubled by the deal.
Local news reports say 52-year-old Christopher Wilson was arriving to work when he was approached by multiple men and shot. | TheaDesign/Shutterstock
Law enforcement authorities are investigating a homicide at a Kuusakoski e-scrap processing site.