The $349 billion in initial funding for the Paycheck Protection Program ran out within two weeks. | NIKCOA/Shutterstock
Electronics recycling firms and other processors across the country are looking to a federal assistance program to help them overcome cash-flow problems sparked by the coronavirus. Some have been successful, but others are running into banking complexities and tapped-out funding.
Market research firm Gartner noted that in the first quarter of 2020 shipments of new PCs around the world declined by 12.3% year over year. | N.Z.Photography/Shutterstock
The coronavirus pandemic has disrupted worldwide supply and demand for new PCs, bringing both bad and good news for computer recyclers and refurbishers, according to Gartner.
E-scrap programs in Texas have brought in 278.5 million pounds of computers and TVs combined since their inception. | Huguette Roe/Shutterstock
Over 12.5 million pounds of TVs and 6.8 million pounds of computer equipment were collected through Texas state e-scrap programs last year, according to a recent report.
EnviroLeach has been developing a non-toxic hydrometallurgical metals leaching method for several years. | Courtesy of Enviroleach.
Circuit board processor EnviroLeach is gearing up to bring its Canadian facility to commercial-scale capacity in the next two months. The company recently raised significant capital to help in that effort.
In the midst of coronavirus-related closures, ITAD companies are reporting decreases of up to 75% in the flow of used IT equipment from corporate accounts and other organizations. | Zhuravlev Andrey/Shutterstock
At enterprises across North America, IT asset refresh projects are no longer a top priority. That has meant major volume drops for material processors, as well as painful staffing cuts in some cases.
A former U.S. e-scrap executive pleads not guilty to federal charges related to business practices, and an infamous scrap site in Ghana grabs more headlines.
Japan’s Mitsubishi Materials is planning to invest over $100 million to boost its global e-scrap processing footprint.
Canada-based EnviroLeach is planning to open a processing facility that will use a non-toxic water-based formula to recover precious metals.