E-Scrap News magazine is the premier trade journal for electronics recycling and refurbishment experts. It offers updates on the latest equipment and technology, details trends in electronics recycling legislation, highlights the work of innovative processors, and covers all the other critical industry news.
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A Basel Action Network study links US e-scrap brokers to large exports into Asia and urges regulators, auditors and lawmakers to close oversight gaps. | Nattanan726/Shutterstock
A two-year study urging scrutiny of e-scrap exports to Southeast Asia drew reader interest in October, as well as an ITAD firm’s consolidation, M&A’s effect on the industry, the Department of Energy’s stake in a lithium firm and the US EPA’s largest lithium-ion battery cleanup.
After extended service phases out in 2027-2028, retired laptops will help drive recovery of copper, aluminum and other metals. | Photo by Ivan Hafizov
These past few weekends, I found myself scrolling through Amazon’s refurbished‑laptop listings—a habit I use to gauge what’s moving through the secondary market. Page after page told the same story: hundreds of Dell Latitudes, HP EliteBooks and Lenovo ThinkPads advertised with the familiar Windows 10 Pro badge.
Following a report urging deeper scrutiny of e-scrap exporters, the organization previewed its full-year report to help improve confidence in the R2 process. | Ibrahim Alkan/Shutterstock
Ahead of the release of a full year-end report, SERI provided a preview of the outcomes from its Assurance activities in 2025.
Industry experts noted that policy initiatives and certification standards are propelling the sector forward despite loopholes and challenges. | Photo by Big Wave Productions
The opening plenary at the E-Scrap Conference in Grapevine, Texas set out five forces that are reshaping electronics recovery: rapid device change, battery risk, compliance pressure, policy updates and AI-driven data centers. Continue Reading
Dissolution recycling processes can provide effective separation of flame retardants, metals and more from e-plastics. | Damrong Rattanapong/Shutterstock
Industry association Plastics Recyclers Europe is looking to raise the profile of dissolution recycling, an often-overlooked process that doesn’t quite fit into common recycling categories and is capable of processing a wide variety of hard-to-recycle materials including e-plastics.
For electronics recyclers, the inclusion of copper as a US critical mineral means circuit boards and wiring looms are shifting from waste streams into high‑value commodities. | Flegere/Shutterstock
When copper was added to the US Geological Survey’s proposed list of critical minerals in August, the move signaled a strategic policy shift extending beyond mining and toward formally confirming its geopolitical significance.
While legislators enact bans that aim to reduce vape waste, manufacturers are creating loopholes around the sale of disposable devices. | B.Robinson/Shutterstock
Editor’s Note: Diversion Dynamics is a monthly column exploring partnerships and policy that drive recycling.
I recently connected with Michael Duckworth, founder of Positive Energy Environmental Solutions, via video conference. Duckworth established the vape recycling company in 2023 after identifying a critical infrastructure gap for vape recycling in Nebraska and nationwide. Continue Reading
Many 2025 devices incorporate recycled metals and bio‑based finishes, but internal construction decisions such as soldered memory and layered adhesives still limit recoverability. | Eric Glenn/Shutterstock
As the latest generation of laptops reaches the desks of students and professionals, a closer look beneath the surface reveals a tension between sustainability aspirations and end‑of‑life reality.