Processors and state programs alike saw a lot less material this spring as the COVID-19 pandemic took hold. But in the last couple months, inbound volumes have returned and surged in some cases. That fact has created new challenges.
New York City has “indefinitely suspended” its curbside e-scrap collection program, a move expected to save the city about $3.4 million a year.
Citing concerns over COVID-19, a major retailer, the largest U.S. city and a handful of other electronics recycling collection channels have paused services.
Two bills before Congress provide millions of dollars in funding for recycling efforts, including recovery and processing of electronics.
New York City’s curbside e-scrap program has grown to serve additional areas of the nation’s largest metropolis.
E-scrap collection contracting in Fairfax County, Va. turned messy after the county selected a new service provider to replace its existing vendor.
Communities that want to offer home pick-up of end-of-life electronics must overcome a number of challenges. Bureaucracy, it seems, is one of them.
In 2016, New York began providing grants to offset municipalities’ e-scrap collection and recycling costs. Two years later, nearly one-third of the dollars remain to be distributed.