Electronics recycling facility fires have fluctuated widely over the years, but 2024 brought a new high, according to one tally. | PK Studio/Shutterstock
There were 14 publicly reported fires at North American electronics recycling facilities in 2024, representing a 56% increase over the prior year, according to an annual review by fire detection equipment supplier Fire Rover. It’s the highest yearly figure since the company began tracking fire statistics. Continue Reading
The visit marked ReMA’s first fly-in since rebranding with a focus on recycled material outputs rather than the scrap input. | Bill Perry/Shutterstock
Members of the Recycled Materials Association’s electronics division were on-site for the group’s recent Capitol Hill visit, where they told lawmakers how tariffs will affect electronics recovery and emphasized the importance of priority legislation. Continue Reading
URT, one of the few companies that continues to process CRT devices, was cited in 2023 and 2024 for workplace safety issues partially due to lead and cadmium exposure. | Underworld/Shutterstock
ITAD and cathode ray tube device processor Universal Recycling Technologies announced that its e-Stewards certification will be suspended for 30 days, following an OSHA fine over worker exposure to lead and cadmium. Continue Reading
Recovered material imports, like the 1 million tons of recovered fiber the U.S. brought in from Canada last year, appear to be tariff-exempt under a new executive order. | John New/Shutterstock
The U.S. tariff whirlwind continues this month: Many imports from Canada and Mexico, including those of recycled materials, had their tariffs suspended two days after they took effect last week, while previously announced tariffs on aluminum and steel from all countries took effect Wednesday.
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Dynamic Lifecycle Innovations recently opened a 74,000-square-foot facility in Hendersonville, Tennessee. | Courtesy of Dynamic Lifecycle Innovations
Dynamic Lifecycle Innovations added 74,000 square feet of space and with its latest facility in Tennessee. Continue Reading
From left, Sean Magann of Sims Lifecycle Services, Rob Lawson-Shanks of Molg and Rebecca Latson of Dell speak during a panel discussion at the Reverse Logistics Association Conference and Expo in Las Vegas on March 11. | Photo by Colin Staub
Data center decommissioning, right to repair, tariffs and the role of artificial intelligence in end-of-life product grading were hot topics during a meeting of reverse logistics professionals this week. Continue Reading
The tariffs threaten to raise costs to import end-of-life batteries, circuit boards and mixed e-scrap from Canada and Mexico. | priscilla list/Shutterstock
March 7 update: Some of the new tariffs on imports from both Mexico and Canada were paused following executive orders President Donald Trump signed on March 6. The orders exempt goods that enter the U.S. under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, which would appear to exempt recycled materials, but it’s not entirely clear. Canada’s first round of retaliatory tariffs appears to remain in effect.
The Recycled Materials Association warned of potential “severe” disruption to the materials recovery sector after tariffs targeting the U.S.’s largest trading partners took effect this week. Some tariffs on Mexican imports were paused for another month on March 6. Meanwhile, Canada’s proposed response includes tariffs on U.S. exports of recycled materials. Continue Reading
Sims Lifecycle Services, the ITAD arm of global metals giant Sims Limited, reported a 21% revenue increase in the first half of its 2025 fiscal year, while Iron Mountain reported a revenue increase of 119% over 2023. | Maximumm / Shutterstock
IT asset disposition giant Sims Lifecycle Services is handling “extraordinary” volumes of repurposed assets through its data center decommissioning business, and the company anticipates that is only going to increase, particularly in the U.S.
3R’s U.S. facility plans to offer a domestic processing option for portions of the e-scrap stream that are increasingly difficult to export. | Photo courtesy Basel Action Network
3R Technology California is getting ready to open up shop at its first U.S. location in the Southern California city of Riverbank. The company processes e-plastics into clean, separated flake to help keep e-plastics in the U.S. Continue Reading
Containers of retired assets at the FBI were being stored in an unsecured area for weeks at a time, including unlabeled hard drives. | Photos courtesy U.S. Department of Justice
A recent criminal case involving device theft during federal government asset disposition jobs is shining new light on 2024 audits highlighting IT asset management weaknesses at the FBI and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Continue Reading