Researchers are calling for more research into the toxicity and risks of new types of antioxidants that e-scrap workers can become exposed to. | Jared Paben/Resource Recycling, Inc.
E-scrap facility workers are being exposed to new types of synthetic antioxidants used in plastics and rubbers, with unknown health consequences, according to recent research.
Off a narrow, sun-bleached alley, where the early summer heat stuns by mid-morning, Sakib Malik sits behind a desk in near darkness. Beside him, stacks of plastic casings from old CRT televisions arch toward the ceiling. He’s on the phone, amid another deal.
France has begun requiring manufacturers to label their electronic products with a repairability score. | S.Dashkevych/Shutterstock
France has started requiring electronics OEMs to calculate and disclose repairability scores to consumers, and officials in Malaysia raise concerns about recent e-scrap importation in that country.
Industry group ISRI said that updated import guidelines are an acknowledgement from China that scrap materials are products, not waste. | Maha Heang 245789/Shutterstock
Chinese authorities have published updated standards for imports of recovered brass, copper and aluminum. They’re set to go into effect on Nov. 1.
Japan’s Mitsubishi Materials is planning to invest over $100 million to boost its global e-scrap processing footprint.
In April, the Chinese government will enact new requirements for pellet imports. | Piyathep/Shutterstock
Officials in Beijing are set to enact new requirements around the purity of recycled plastic pellets imported into China, which could disrupt international markets for U.S. e-plastics.
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In addition to the growth in e-scrap processing, the New York Times report focused on the poor conditions of some Thai recycling operations. | Wead/Shutterstock
The scrap electronics processing industry is active and growing in Thailand, according to a New York Times feature, despite the country’s move to reject imports of end-of-life devices last year.
U.S. e-scrap processors and brokers say they’re currently able to move e-plastics. | Alexey Lesik/Shutterstock
Asia remains the destination for many plastics recovered from electronics. But as buyers relocate from China to other countries, prices are down and quality and volume are increasingly critical factors.
India was the second largest importer of U.S. scrap plastic during the first six months of 2019. | Avigator Fortuner/Shutterstock
Recovered plastic, including material from end-of-life electronics, has largely stopped flowing from the U.S. into India, which until recently has been among the top importers of scrap plastics.
