A patent dispute over screens may have wider implications for both consumers and the electronics repair industry. | Leszek Kobusinski/Shutterstock
A complaint to the U.S. International Trade Commission by one of the world’s biggest smartphone companies seeks to halt imports of some aftermarket screens into the U.S., threatening the supply of parts to independent repair shops. Continue Reading
Hong Kong courts convicted seven importers of illegally bringing in e-scrap from several countries. The U.S. was on the list of exporting countries.
E-scrap materials, including CRT glass, sit abandoned in rural Wyoming, with the site’s former owner in prison and regulatory agencies still working to determine who should handle a cleanup.
A law will allow certified, nonprofit refurbishing companies to directly obtain, refurbish and distribute surplus government computers to veterans and others in need. | Dmitry-A/Shutterstock
A new law allows the federal government to provide surplus and repairable used computers directly to nonprofit refurbishers, who will then provide them to individuals in need.
TJX owns approximately 340 T.J. Maxx, Marshalls and HomeGoods stores in California. | Idealphotographer/Shutterstock
The Massachusetts-based parent company of T.J. Maxx, Marshalls and HomeGoods was ordered by a judge to pay $2.05 million for unlawful disposal of e-scrap, batteries and other hazardous waste in California.
iDiskk principals Yue Zou and Lei Zhang agreed to pay a fine after the company improperly disposed of lithium-ion batteries from electronics. | XH2/Shutterstock
Improper disposal of lithium-ion batteries led to a $25,000 fine for a California recycling company after the batteries sparked several garbage truck fires.
The bill would expand OEMs’ requirements for providing public outreach and awareness, change deadlines for manufacturers to submit stewardship registration applications, and more. | DCStockPhotography/Shutterstock
Washington, D.C. leaders next week will hold a hearing on legislation making various changes to the district’s extended producer responsibility program for electronics.
Glencore’s Horne smelter is facing public concerns over air pollution. | Courtesy of Glencore
The top government official in Quebec suggested public concerns over air pollution could lead the province to close Glencore’s Horne smelting site, a key downstream for North America’s e-scrap.
Hawaiian legislators passed an update to the state’s electronics EPR program, making manufacturer recycling targets weight-based instead of calculated by market share. | Jeff Whyte/Shutterstock
Hawaii had to suspend free e-scrap collection in the state earlier this year after the program ran out of funds early, but the state legislature has passed a law to address the problem.
Draft European regulations propose that mobile devices should include scratch resistance, protection from dust and water, resistance to accidental drops, battery longevity and the capacity to be disassembled and repaired. | ETgohome/Shutterstock
The European Commission is requesting feedback on draft regulations for designing mobile phones and tablets to be more environmentally friendly, including the issue of recyclability.