The Federal Trade Commission received more than 1,000 comments supporting or opposing a recent petition calling for federal right-to-repair rules. | Yekatseryna Netuk/Shutterstock
Whether they were small repair business owners, industry associations or passionate individuals, hundreds of commenters on a recent right-to-repair petition to the Federal Trade Commission broadly agreed that consumers ought to have more options for fixing their devices and using them longer. Continue Reading
Officials at EPA hope that a clear standard for handling photovoltaic panels will increase the rate at which they are collected and processed. | Heinz Trebuth/Shutterstock
In response to electric power industry requests, the EPA is looking to classify solar panels as universal waste. The agency is also working to create a category of universal waste specifically for lithium-ion batteries. Continue Reading
Supporters of SB 244 pose in front of a pile of laptops and other devices during a rally. | Andy Smith, Courtesy of CALPIRG
California’s right-to-repair bill for electronics awaits Gov. Gavin Newsom’s signature, and supporters are lauding the years of work it took to get to this point. Continue Reading
Computing giant HP has joined the ranks of companies such as Apple in supporting California consumers’ right to fix their own devices. | BalkansCat/Shutterstock
California’s right-to-repair bill is drawing more high-profile backing, with HP becoming the latest OEM to publicly endorse it. Continue Reading
A federal purchasing rule handed down last week directs agencies to buy sustainable products and avoid those that contain PFAS. | Petrmalinak/Shutterstock
The federal government has announced plans to further prioritize American-made sustainable products and services in its purchasing, including recycled content. Continue Reading
Opinions on potentially restricting e-scrap exports varied, with some arguing such a move would hinder sales and others arguing it would bolster domestic job creation. | Katherine Welles/Shutterstock
In a wide-ranging hearing on electronics recycling and reuse, several U.S. senators heard discussion about how export restrictions affect U.S. industry. Continue Reading
LCD tubes recovered from 5R’s Ladysmith, Wisc. facility. | Courtesy of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
At his current rate, the former CEO of 5R Processors will fully pay off his $2 million in court-ordered e-scrap abandonment restitution in roughly 1,200 years. Knowing that, Wisconsin lawmakers just approved allocating another $2 million in public funds to clean up the mess. Continue Reading
The bill in Oregon will greatly expand the list of covered items, bringing VCRs and other products into the fold. | Charles Knowles/Shutterstock
This story has been updated.
Oregon lawmakers passed – and the governor signed – legislation that will add devices to the state’s electronics recycling program and also alter the framework through which manufacturers fulfill their collection obligations. Continue Reading
The federal agency is chiefly concerned with the batteries’ propensity for starting fires. | Allyson Kitts/Shutterstock
The U.S. EPA recently clarified that lithium-ion batteries should be treated as hazardous waste, but did not yet change current recycling rules and regulations. Continue Reading
The CEO of Pennsylvania-based eLoop attributes the buildup of CRTs to a narrowing downstream and pandemic-related challenges. | Dongseun Yang/Shutterstock
Pandemic-era business conditions and the closure of a CRT outlet contributed to eLoop violating CRT accumulation rules last year, the CEO said. Now, the processor and regulators are working out a mandatory plan to clear out the stockpile. Continue Reading