The Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal is an international treaty governing how waste is moved around the world. | mayday6510/Shutterstock
Multiple countries are proposing to expand restrictions on the global movement of discarded electronics.
Dutch company Closing the Loop buys scrap phones from local collectors in Africa. | Photo by Closing the Loop, provided courtesy of TCO Development
Sustainability certification organization TCO Development launched a program through which purchases of new electronics will fund e-scrap recycling in developing countries.
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.
ITAD company EPC reported a sharp increase in demand for notebook, tablet and desktop PCs throughout the U.S. and Canada as the need to work from home grows. | Sally B/Shutterstock
Processors across the U.S. say the coronavirus and resulting work-from-home orders have energized the market for refurbished electronics. In some cases, they can’t keep up with the needs of customers.
Rolph Payet, executive secretary of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions, speaks at the Plastics Recycling Conference and Trade Show. | Plastics Recycling Conference/Brian Adams Photography
Scrap plastic exporters should closely monitor policy changes in the countries they sell to as the global community prepares to enact more aggressive shipment requirements, according to the top staff member for the Basel Convention.
An industry group cites experts in noting that e-waste export policy is key to stopping counterfeit electronic parts and protecting military readiness. | ThamKC/Shutterstock
A group supporting legislation to limit overseas shipments of untested used devices praised recent U.S. government action to combat the trade of counterfeit electronics. But it also noted more can be done on the export front.
NovoTec has already begun shipping glass to the new destinations. | HomeArt/Shutterstock
NovoTec Recycling finalized contracts to ship CRT glass to smelters in British Columbia and South Korea. The total glass capacity is greater than what NovoTec sent to Glencore’s now-closed smelter.
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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SERI will accept public comments on their updated draft via an online form. | TypoArt BS/Shutterstock
Sustainable Electronics Recycling International has released a revised draft of the new R2 standard for comment. Meanwhile, the organization will provide a grant for the use of GPS tracking devices.
