Industry Announcements

September 2018

Used mobile device marketplace Back Market has launched an advertising campaign criticizing planned obsolescence in electronics. It was timed concurrent with Apple gearing up to remove the iPhone 6s from its product catalog.

Charleston County, S.C. settled its legal dispute with Carolina Pines I, LLC, which owns a property formerly used by closed e-scrap processor Creative Recycling Systems. A judge is expected to decide within a week whether two other municipalities that contracted with Creative should contribute to e-scrap cleanup costs.

The Electronics Reuse Conference announced its goal of making its 2018 event waste free, an effort that includes replacing single-use items with reusable alternatives, providing on-site recycling options, and other measures.

Canon has released its 2018 sustainability report, which includes details about the company’s recycling-related initiatives.

Researchers at the Critical Materials Institute and Ames Laboratory have received a Notable Technology Development Award from the Federal Laboratories Consortium for their work on a magnet recycling process that recovers rare earths.

State e-scrap program E-Cycle Washington released its latest collection report, showing that the year-to-date collection total for Washington is 82.9 percent of the weight collected over the same period in 2017.

The International Data Corporation (IDC) forecasts that global shipments of personal computers will decline by 3.9 percent this year. Meanwhile, IDC released figures showing that worldwide shipments of servers increased 20.5 percent year over year during the second quarter.

IT certification provider TCO Certified has published criteria for the organization’s latest standard, which is titled “generation 8.”

August 2018

ERI co-founder Kevin Dillon will deliver a keynote presentation at the China International E-Waste conference in Shanghai next month.

Conference company ICM has moved its annual “Electronics & Cars Recycling” conference from China to Japan and renamed it “E-Mobility & Circular Economy.”

Schupan & Sons has hired Drew Kocsis and Ryan Limburg to its Chicago-based Materials Trading Division, which trades scrap electronics and a multitude of other recyclables.

The Green Electronics Council (GEG) has scheduled a Sept. 5 webinar to demonstrate the new EPEAT Registry platform and provide an overview of registered server products.

Repair hub iFixit reported on its right-to-repair lobbying efforts during the recent National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) Legislative Summit.

The National Association for Information Destruction (NAID) posted on its site about how a Colorado law going into effect on Sept. 1 will require any company doing business in the state to have formal data security and disposal programs.

Michigan recycling companies Padnos and GLR Advanced Recycling have formed a business partnership, which company leaders say will allow them to serve more Michigan customers and also grow to neighboring markets.

Sims Recycling Solutions (SRS) parent company Sims Metal Management has joined the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD).

The Basel Action Network (BAN) has called on bike-share companies, including Lime and Ofo, to ensure responsible disposal of their electric bikes and scooters at end-of-life.

The Electronic Recycling Association (ERA) and Hi Tech Recyclers announced they have recycled 700 tons of e-scrap over the past five years.

ERI has named William Avery as its director of sales in the healthcare division. Avery was previously vice president of U.S. sales at Stericycle.

Sin City Smash, a recreational rage room in Las Vegas, announced it has recycled 4,000 pounds of e-scrap. The operation provides “destruction therapy” sessions for patrons, who break printers and other devices.

The E-Cycle Washington e-scrap program collected 2.6 million pounds of TVs, computers and monitors for recycling in July. The state program’s collection total through the first seven months equated to 83.3 percent of the weight collected over the same period in 2017.

The National Association for Information Destruction (NAID) has released its 2018 buyer’s guide.

R.A.K.I. Computers of Houston is celebrating 27 years in business.

Amsterdam IT asset disposition (ITAD) company Teleplan has received ADISA Industry Standards certification for its Nest data erasure process.

E-scrap processor California Electronic Asset Recovery (CEAR) is among the recipients of 2018 Bow & Arrow Awards from the California Product Stewardship Council.

Crednology Holding Corp. reported that its e-scrap division has expanded its customer base with notable new clients, including the Screen Actors Guild‐American Federation of Television and Radio Artists among others.

FutureDial, which provides mobile device data-clearing and processing services, announced that GSMA’s Device Check service to identify lost or stolen mobile devices has been integrated into FutureDial’s Lean One-Touch mobile device processing software.

Sustainable Electronics Recycling International (SERI), which administers the R2 recycling standard, announced in its July newsletter it will release advisories on the following topics: certificate scopes, auditor code of conduct, changes to the R2 Code of Practices, SERI packaging review actions and facility moves. Advisories are changes to the meaning, application and/or intent of R2 requirements.

The National Recycling Coalition is accepting nominations for a variety of awards, which will be presented at the 2018 Resource Recycling Conference in St. Louis.

July 2018

The 1,000 Laptop Challenge is collecting used laptops in Cambridge, Mass. for a project in which students will sell the computers or their parts as a way of learning about technology and marketing.

Goodwill Industries of Southeastern Wisconsin has partnered with the Green Bay Packers to recycle all of the team’s end-of-life computers, tablets and other devices through the Goodwill E-Cycle program.

iFixit has released a teardown for the Apple MacBook Pro 13-inch Touch Bar, and the repair group gave device a low 1 out of 10 for repairability.

Metech International has gone to court in Singapore, attempting to recover from its landlord rent Metech paid in 2015 during a period when its facility suffered a fire and was unusable.

Sustainable Electronics Recycling International (SERI) is accepting applications for the position of R2 director. The position was formerly held by Corey Dehmey, who was recently promoted to SERI’s executive director.

Chinese recycling and reuse company Aihuishou.com announced plans to expand its business to serve the global market, including making investments in the U.S.

Gartner reported worldwide PC shipments during the second quarter were 1.7 percent higher than they were during the same period a year earlier, representing the first quarter of year-over-year growth in six years. International Data Corporation (IDC) reported the same trend, noting that the growth significantly exceeded IDC’s forecast.

The United Nations University StEP Initiative will host a webinar titled “E-Waste Plastics in the Circular Economy.”

Echo Environmental has hired Michael Harbert as its senior manager for business development. Harbert’s background includes more than two decades at ECS Refining.

E-Cycle Washington has collected 12.51 million pounds of electronics so far this year, 82.7 percent of the weight collected over the same period in 2017.

Logistics company iQor has been named MetroPCS Partner of the Year, which recognizes companies’ achievements in customer service and specialty lines of business.

E-scrap smelting company Itronics announced it has increased the silver content in its bullion product by about 50 percent compared with previous releases.

The National Association for Information Destruction (NAID) has redesigned its AAA certificate to give customers a better explanation of the program’s role and importance in regulatory compliance.

SAMR CEO Albert Boufarah released a statement describing his company’s process of handling end-of-life electronics.