ITAD company EPC reported a sharp increase in demand for notebook, tablet and desktop PCs throughout the U.S. and Canada as the need to work from home grows. | Sally B/Shutterstock
Processors across the U.S. say the coronavirus and resulting work-from-home orders have energized the market for refurbished electronics. In some cases, they can’t keep up with the needs of customers.
Best Buy on March 22 announced its retail stores would close to the public and temporarily suspend recycling activities. | LukeandKarla.Travel/Shutterstock
Citing concerns over COVID-19, a major retailer, the largest U.S. city and a handful of other electronics recycling collection channels have paused services.
Leaders at both R2 and e-Stewards cited safety concerns for recycling and refurbishing operations as well as the auditors that visit them. | Courtesy R2 Corporation
The administrators of e-scrap standards are adjusting auditing and certification procedures in response to the global coronavirus pandemic. R2 and e-Stewards both published guidance on the temporary policies this week.
The cause of the fire had not been determined and remains under investigation. | Torychemistry/Shutterstock
E-scrap processor Interco Trading says it’s open and operating normally after a large fire broke out in one of its warehouses last week.
E-scrap processors report coronavirus-driven disruptions both with vendors and customers. | joshimerbin/Shutterstock
The global escalation of COVID-19 is causing supplier and customer disruption for e-scrap processors, while on a wider scale it constrains global shipping, dents stock prices and threatens an economic recession.
By acquiring CExchange, Echo Consolidated Holdings Group will now offer customers a full suite of services. | fizkes/Shutterstock
Echo Consolidated Holdings Group, a family of Dallas-area electronics recycling, ITAD and IT services companies, recently expanded into the mobile phone trade-in business by acquiring CExchange.
Data shows that the total pounds processed through California’s electronics recycling program have been falling since 2012. | Boonchuay1970/Shutterstock
This article has been corrected.
Over the past three years, fewer of California’s CRTs are going directly to hazardous waste landfills and more are flowing through intermediate glass processors, state data shows. But that may not mean more glass is ultimately being recycled.
Battery fires are an increasingly relevant concern for electronics recycling facilities. | zeyaman/Shutterstock
A recently published guidance document helps recycling facilities draft plans to avert and mitigate fires.
A European Commission plan calls for right-to-repair measures to be introduced by 2021. | Poravute Siriphiroon/Shutterstock
European lawmakers this week committed to enshrine greater device repairability in law, with their adoption of a Circular Economy Action Plan.
The recently introduced legislation covers solar panels in residential, commercial and industrial use. | Heinz Trebuth/Shutterstock
Legislation in Arizona would establish recycling requirements for end-of-life solar panels, requiring manufacturers to create a recycling program or face a per-panel fee at point-of-sale.