New rules covering e-retailers such as Amazon that import into the U.K. will introduce a category specifically for vapes, among other changes. | B..Robinson/Shutterstock
New U.K. rules will require online retailers importing electronics into the country to contribute to costs associated with recycling e-scrap there, and introduce a new category specifically for vapes. Continue Reading
The Stewardship Agencies of BC is a coalition of extended producer responsibility organizations, including Call2Recycle Canada, Return-It, the Electronic Products Recycling Association, Recycle BC and others. | MAXSHOT.PL/Shutterstock
The Stewardship Agencies of British Columbia worked together to divert a record 425 million kilograms of end-of-life products from landfills in 2023, and leaders pointed to factors including the efficiency and education that collaboration brings. Continue Reading
The province’s four-year pilot program will become permanent on April 1. | Butenkov Aleksei/Shutterstock
Canada’s oldest provincial electronics recycling program will add more than 500 device types to its accepted materials list, making permanent a pilot program that’s been under way for four years. Continue Reading
The Canadian province is considering a number of changes, including expanding the list of devices covered under the program to include cell phones, small appliances and power tools. | Billion Photos/Shutterstock
The Saskatchewan government has proposed expanding its e-scrap program to cover cell phones, power tools and more. Continue Reading
There were more than 20 right-to-repair bills introduced this year. So far, 11 have failed, eight are still active and three passed. | Prostock Studio/Shutterstock
Legislative sessions are winding down for the summer. Some bills covering electronics and batteries made it across the finish line this year, while others stalled out. Here’s a roundup of what happened. Continue Reading
The week of negotiations had moments of both hope and frustration for delegates, who are racing against the clock to create a final treaty. | Photo courtesy of IISD/ENB Kiara Worth
The fourth meeting to draft a global plastic pollution treaty ended just after 3 a.m. on April 30 with general agreement on the need for global rules and mandates on product design, composition, performance and extended producer responsibility.
E-Cycle Washington handled 12.9 million pounds of electronics in 2023, down about 3% from the previous year. | Aquatarkus/Shutterstock
The weight of devices collected in Washington state’s e-scrap program dropped again in 2023, reaching a new low in the program’s 15th year as the portion of lighter-weight devices in the stream continues to grow. Continue Reading
New Jersey became the first state to pass an extended producer responsibility law for electric vehicle batteries. | Mpohodzhay/Shutterstock
New Jersey is the first state to make producers responsible for electric vehicle batteries and other, similar propulsion batteries. 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
From left to right: Steve Noble, Jason Linnell, Walter Alcorn, Melanie Weitzel and Chris Kaasmann. | Big Wave Productions/E-Scrap & E-Reuse Conference
The number of states with e-scrap recycling programs has not changed much in the past decade, but there have been some notable updates and overhauls in recent years. Industry experts dissected those changes in a recent workshop. Continue Reading