E-scrap awaiting recycling at Boliden’s Rönnskär smelter in northern Sweden. | Boliden Public Media Library
Aurubis will invest $359 million at a smelter, gold maintains its recent high prices and researchers say recycled copper from e-scrap doesn’t necessarily generate fewer greenhouse gasses than virgin mined metal. Continue Reading
Microsoft will announce details about the extended security updates closer to 2025. | Wachiwit/Shutterstock
Responding to concerns about scrapping otherwise usable devices, Microsoft announced it will extend security updates for Windows 10 – for a price. Continue Reading
Francisco Partners bought Blancco Technology Group, which is no longer trading on the London Stock Exchange. | David Gyung/Shutterstock
A global investment firm has purchased data-wiping company Blancco Technology Group for about $221 million. Continue Reading
The legal settlements were the latest in the Closed Loop Refining and Recovery CRT abandonment case in Phoenix. | Justin Pinkney/Shutterstock
Three e-scrap companies will pay a combined $2.2 million to help fund the cleanup of millions of pounds of CRT materials abandoned by Closed Loop Refining and Recovery in Phoenix. Continue Reading
Port Klang, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where U.S. e-scrap companies send a lot of their e-plastics. Several insiders recently shared their thoughts on how the industry will approach e-plastics export violations. | Nicola Pulham/Shutterstock
Chris Kaasmann sees a parallel between the e-scrap industry’s requirement to start managing e-plastics differently and the need for the planet to switch to renewable energy. Both need to happen, but in neither case can you simply flip a switch to realize universal change. Continue Reading
A laser reballing machine at Retronix. | Courtesy of Retronix
The acquisition of Retronix will help global electronics manufacturer Jabil enable reuse of electronic components that may otherwise face the shredder. Continue Reading
Speaking during the “Maximizing the Value of Your Precious Metals” session were (from left to right) session moderator Bo Guilbeault of Starbucks, John Antonacci of Gannon & Scott, Kristina Picciotti of Global Electronic Recycling, and Naveed Moghadam of Aurubis. | Big Wave Productions
Each company has its own niche in the e-scrap and ITAD game, and by looking at other players as potential collaborators rather than fierce competitors, everyone can benefit financially. That was one takeaway from a recent conversation between a collector, refiner and smelter operator. Continue Reading
Rendering showing what iFixit’s facility in Chattanooga, Tenn. will look like after a major building rehabilitation project. | Courtesy of iFixit
This story has been updated.
When iFixit went looking for an eastern U.S. site to set up a new logistics/distribution facility, it didn’t feel right to build a facility from the ground up. After all, the company’s ethos is repair, CEO Kyle Wiens said. Continue Reading
Iron Mountain, Envela Corporation and Li-Cycle Holdings recently released third-quarter earnings results, providing insight into markets. | Kenary820/Shutterstock
Iron Mountain says used electronics pricing was relatively steady during the third quarter, flattening out revenues for the company’s asset lifecycle segment. But Envela Corporation found decreased volumes of incoming electronics and solar panels hurt results at its ITAD and e-scrap companies. Continue Reading
Officials at EPA hope that a clear standard for handling photovoltaic panels will increase the rate at which they are collected and processed. | Heinz Trebuth/Shutterstock
In response to electric power industry requests, the EPA is looking to classify solar panels as universal waste. The agency is also working to create a category of universal waste specifically for lithium-ion batteries. Continue Reading