Updates to the Basel Convention, an international treaty regulating the trade of various types of end-of-life materials, will come into effect Jan. 1. | Don Bendickson/Shutterstock
With just weeks to go before new e-scrap trading regulations take effect worldwide, companies are feeling cautiously optimistic that trade disruption will be softer than it could have been. Continue Reading
The U.S. expanded export restrictions to China of chip-making equipment and sanctioned 140 companies, the latest moves in a back-and-forth series of export restrictions. | MOLPIX/Shutterstock
As technology trade tensions between China and the U.S. escalate, bans on trading minerals used in producing LED screens, semiconductors, chips and batteries are again putting the recycling sector in the spotlight. Continue Reading
Data center decommissioning, ESG adherence and regulatory compliance are among the trends driving one analyst’s positive outlook for 2025. | Gorodenkoff/Shutterstock
The U.S. IT asset disposition and electronics recycling industries struggled to sustain growth in 2023 because of a dormant market, dominated by lack of demand for used equipment and parts, and hesitation from companies that have refrained from relinquishing their aging assets. Asset procurement on the upstream side and trading in the downstream sector were weak, and as a result, prices fell substantially. Continue Reading
A new paper in Nature Computational Science examines potential scenarios for AI-related e-scrap generation, which is driven by its data center needs. | Funtap/Shutterstock
As artificial intelligence continues to ramp up, researchers said the computing-heavy tool could lead to skyrocketing volumes of end-of-life electronics and called for equal attention to asset management. Continue Reading
New rules covering e-retailers such as Amazon that import into the U.K. will introduce a category specifically for vapes, among other changes. | B..Robinson/Shutterstock
New U.K. rules will require online retailers importing electronics into the country to contribute to costs associated with recycling e-scrap there, and introduce a new category specifically for vapes. Continue Reading
Electronics were stockpiled inside a dilapidated Wisconsin warehouse for 10 years but are finally being removed. | All photos courtesy City of West Bend
Sandwiched between a quiet residential neighborhood and a tree-lined multi-use trail, a 10-year-old cathode ray tube and assorted e-scrap stockpile in West Bend, Wisconsin, is finally being removed and disposed of at an estimated cost of $3.2 million. Continue Reading
The Texas facility will use solvents to recover copper, gold and more from dissolved circuit boards, providing an alternative to traditional smelting. | Photo courtesy Mint Innovation
Mint Innovation, an Australian company that is scaling up a hydrometallurgical technology to recover precious metals from e-scrap, this week began construction on a $20 million refinery in Texas capable of processing nearly 9 million pounds per year of printed circuit boards. Continue Reading
While getting insurance for facilities has become much more difficult and costly, working closely with a broker to tell a story of safety can bring down costs, panelists said at the 2024 E-Scrap Conference. | Big Wave Productions/Resource Recycling
Rising insurance costs have been a topic of concern for several years, and while battery-induced fires have caught much of the attention, panelists at the 2024 E-Scrap Conference said there’s more to it – and more options are available to ease the pressure. Continue Reading
The study found flame retardants in some black plastic kitchen utensils that contained recycled resin. | Jared Paben/Resource Recycling
A recent study has focused public attention on household products containing plastic that the authors suggest was recovered from electronics, raising safety concerns about chemicals contained within the recycled content.
The announcement helped boost Ingram Micro’s newly launched shares on the New York Stock Exchange. | Rawpixel.com/Shutterstock
Major ITAD firm Ingram Micro has reached a strategic distribution agreement to extend 1Password’s identity security offerings to North American business customers. Continue Reading