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.
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.
Lithium Americas Corp. is the developer of Nevada’s Thacker Pass project. | Photo courtesy Lithium Americas Corp.
The US Department of Energy is redefining its approach to industrial investment through a revised agreement with Lithium Americas Corporation, the Canada- and Nevada-based developer of the Thacker Pass lithium project.
Aurubis expands its global recycling footprint with a new copper smelter in Georgia and fresh EIB financing in Europe, underscoring the race to secure secondary metal supplies. | Photo courtesy Aurubis Richmond
Aurubis, the Germany-based nonferrous metals giant, is deepening its push into recycling and copper production with a series of major moves on both sides of the Atlantic. The company’s growth strategy illustrates a broader trend of stakeholders locking in access to recycled feedstock, as regulatory and customer requirements intensify.
Ex-Glencore recycling chief Kunal Sinha launches Valor, a New York startup touting faster, cheaper, cleaner mineral processing. | Photo Instagram/Glencore
Kunal Sinha, the former head of Glencore’s recycling business, has launched a metals processing startup in New York, which he claims could reduce both the cost and time required to refine copper and other minerals essential for modern industries. Continue Reading
Record July and August fires at MRFs highlight the “vape effect” with lithium-ion batteries driving rising risks, Fogelman’s report finds. | Photo courtesy Cocke County Fire Department
Waste and recycling facilities across the United States and Canada saw another surge in fires this summer, with July and August setting back-to-back monthly records, according to Ryan Fogelman, VP of Fire Protection at Fire Rover. Continue Reading
Flash Metals, the company’s US subsidiary, also was awarded a $100,000 contract with the US Department of Defense. | Petr Bonek/Shutterstock
This story has been corrected to reflect the Metallium CEO’s name.
After announcing its first US facility in Houston, Texas, Metallium has now secured two additional sites in Massachusetts and Virginia for future electronics recovery plants, and received a $100,000 contract with the US Department of Defense. Continue Reading
Funding will target extraction of critical minerals from e-scrap, R&D to reduce mineral demand and workforce training, among other initiatives. | Tada Images/Shutterstock
The US Department of Energy (DOE) has unveiled four new funding opportunities to expand domestic production and recycling of critical minerals to strengthen the supply chains for clean-energy technologies.
The new private equity group is launching a recycling platform to build US supply of critical metals for aerospace and defense applications. | Nomad Soul / Shutterstock
EverMetal Holdings has entered the US recycling market with the acquisition of CAI Custom Alloys, marking the debut of a private equity-backed platform focused on critical metals used in aerospace, defense, power generation and technology.
Continue Reading
Electronics processor ILS will supply magnets sourced from end-of-life hard drives to HyProMag for rare earth recovery. | SolidMaks/Shutterstock
A new partnership between rare earth processor HyProMag USA and electronics recovery firm Intelligent Lifecycle Solutions aims to secure and sustain domestic access to rare earth magnets used in everything from electric vehicles to smartphones to missile systems. Continue Reading