Computer Recycling

Recycling critical metals from electronics could ease mining impacts

In short:

  • The latest Global E-Waste Monitor highlights the vast quantities of metals like copper and aluminum in discarded electronics, with only a fraction currently recycled.

  • Essential for low-carbon technologies, these metals could significantly offset the demand currently met through environmentally damaging mining.

  • Improved recycling technologies and policies are crucial for increasing the recovery of rare and valuable metals from e-waste.

Key quote:

“There is very little reporting on the recovery of metals [from e-waste] globally. We felt that it was our duty to get more facts on the table.”

— Kees Baldé, lead report author

Why this matters:

Metals like copper and aluminum, when improperly disposed of, can leach into soil and water, potentially harming wildlife and impacting human health through the food and water supply. Recycling e-waste can mitigate these risks. By recovering metals like copper and aluminum from old electronics, we not only reduce the environmental harm but also decrease the need to extract raw materials, which often involves ecologically and socially harmful mining practices.

In 2021, electronic waste from outweighed the Great Wall of China.

https://www.ehn.org/recycling-critical-metals-from-electronics-could-ease-mining-impacts-2667811868.html

Sustainable solutions to overconsumption challenges in modern marketing

by Dani Rae Wascher, University of New Mexico

Professor of Marketing at the Anderson School of Management, Catherine Roster, provides insight into the marketing world of overconsumption and a shift in mindset to sustainability long-term.

Roster, along with her colleague Joseph Ferrari, a psychologist at DePaul University, co-authored a research article published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology where they discovered that clutter has a strong negative relationship with people's feelings of well-being and their psychological sense of home, which reflects a person's feelings about home being a safe refuge. Read More…

DON'T THROW YOUR OLD LAPTOP IN THE DUMPSTER—DO THIS INSTEAD


Written by Joanna Nelius, senior editor and E Ink enthusiast with 5+ years experience testing PC hardware and laptops.

Updated December 11, 2023 USA Today

Help cut down on electronic waste by recycling or donating your old laptop.

All electronic devices eventually go to the great motherboard in the sky. But instead of unceremoniously sending what was once the best laptop you ever purchased to the city dump, opt to recycle or donate it. Recycling or donating your old machine is a fantastic way to help cut down e-waste by extracting precious metals and plastic for use in other applications. Or if there’s still life left in your laptop, donate to someone who can’t afford a brand-new one. READ MORE

E-Waste Revolution: Unraveling Growth Trends and Key Players in Vietnam's Electronic Waste Market 2024-2032

PRESS RELEASE

Published January 8, 2024

IMARC

Vietnam Electronic Waste Market Outlook

According to a new report by Expert Market Research titled “Vietnam Electronic Waste Market Size, Share, Growth, Analysis, Report, Demand, Forecast 2024-2032″, the Vietnam electronic waste market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 3.20% between 2024 and 2032. Aided by the country’s rapid technological advancements, increased gadget consumption, and the subsequent surge in e-waste generation, the market is expected to grow significantly by 2032. READ MORE…

Amazingly, Triangle Ecycling is selling hundreds of laptops to buyers in Viet Nam via eBay and US freight forwarders in Portland, OR.

How ESG can help businesses grow

https://resource-recycling.com/e-scrap

Published: October 11, 2023
Updated: October 11, 2023
by Marissa Heffernan

Recycling companies big and small can benefit from publicly sharing their environmental, social and governance strategies, no matter how complicated the process might seem at first. 

At the 2023 E-Scrap and E-Reuse Conference held in New Orleans Sept. 18-20, industry experts gave advice on how to get started with environmental, social and governance (ESG) reports and why they matter for everyone. 

The Sept. 19 session, “Leveraging Your ESG Expertise,” brought together as panelists Natalie Betts, assistant vice president of sustainability for the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI); Curt Greeno, president of Dynamic Lifecycle Innovations; and Naomi Manahan, senior operations program manager for Reverse Logistics Group Americas. Corey Dehmey, executive director of Sustainable Electronics Recycling International (SERI), moderated. 

The idea of making ESG plans has been taking hold in the industry, the speakers agreed, and requests for such plans will only continue to rise.  READ MORE…

Right to repair: all the latest news and updates

By Emma Roth, a news writer who covers the streaming wars, consumer tech, crypto, social media, and much more. Previously, she was a writer and editor at MUO.

Tech companies haven’t always made it easy for consumers to repair their products. Without the manuals, parts, and tools we need, there aren’t many options available, and lobbying paid for by many big companies has worked to keep it that way.

Thankfully, the right-to-repair movement has picked up momentum over the past couple of years, putting pressure on giants like Apple, Samsung, Google. READ MORE>>>

California again considers higher e-scrap payments

Published: May 10, 2023
Updated: May 12, 2023
by Marissa Heffernan

eScrap News

California e-scrap recyclers could see a boost to their state payments under a proposed rate increase motivated by high inflation and other factors.

The California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) adjusts the amounts paid to recyclers to cover the average net costs of collecting and recycling covered products. Due to the passage of SB 1215 in 2022, that will occur on an annual basis instead of every other year, starting in 2023.

Under California’s Covered Electronic Waste Recycling Program, the oldest regulated statewide e-scrap recycling program in the country, consumers pay point-of-sale fees for electronics with screens. The state then redistributes that money to e-scrap companies that are part of the program when they properly collect and recycle covered electronics. 

Read More….

Second-hand tech: Could 2023 be a tipping point for e-waste?

From Edie:

E-waste is the world’s fastest-growing waste stream, and efforts have been made to turn the tide by promoting the green credentials of second-hand goods. But could the market’s growth reach unprecedented levels for another reason – the rising cost of living? LEARN MORE….

How three OEMs approach product sustainability

Updated: November 17, 2022
by Dan Leif E-Scrap News

Leaders from Dell, Google and Samsung laid out details this week on how their companies are building strategies around repair, device longevity and more.

The tech company representatives were brought together for a panel at the 2022 E-Reuse Conference, held Nov. 14 through Nov. 16 in Denver. All said they are focusing on efforts that move well beyond simply collecting end-of-life products for recycling. READ MORE…

Proof of ESG viability is how those initiatives improve economic well-being

By Connie Gentry – Freelance Writer, Triangle Business Journal

Aug 12, 2022

In what has become the summer of discontent across the stock market, Nasdaq finally recorded a success: On July 26, the stock exchange announced its ESG rating had risen from a mediocre BBB to an impressive AA, placing Nasdaq firmly in the leadership category within its industry for environmental, social and governance (ESG) resiliency.

The ratings are awarded by Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI), which evaluates more than 8,500 companies based on their ability to manage financially material ESG risks relative to peers in their specific industry. While MSCI has been assessing and measuring ESG performance for over 40 years, the principals of ESG have only recently gained solid purchase in the marketplace. READ MORE…

Why USB-C Is the Meryl Streep of Cables

From the New York Times — FARHAD MANJOO

If you bought a new phone, computer, game console or some other such device in the past few years, there’s a good chance that you’ve been charging it using a cable with at least one end that looks something like a squashed Tic Tac — a rectangular plug with rounded corners, about a tenth of an inch long and a third of an inch wide.

Officially, per the coalition of tech companies that determines this sort of thing, a connector of this shape is known as Universal Serial Bus Type-C. But its friends just call it USB-C — and I suspect that sooner or later we will all grow enormously friendly with this capable little cable. READ MORE

How to Buy Ethical and Eco-Friendly Electronics

From Wired - SIMON HILL

GEAR

SEP 28, 2022 7:00 AM

WE ALL LOVE shiny new electronics. But every new smartphone or laptop comes with baggage. Weighing climate dread, terrible conditions for workers, energy usage, and worries over hellish e-waste graveyards can quickly kill your excitement about shopping for a new gadget. None of us wants to be complicit, but what can you do if these issues concern you?

Sadly, there’s no easy way to find ethically manufactured and eco-friendly electronics. But there are things you can do to reduce any negative impact your purchases may have. Here are a few ideas we've compiled—with the help of Tom Bryson, tech specialist at Ethical Consumer, a UK magazine that ranks brands based on a variety of categories, from environmental reporting to worker's rights. READ MORE…

How You Can Protect the Ocean and Help Save Marine Life from Home

PORCH

Used with permission

  1. HOW YOU CAN PROTECT THE OCEAN AND HELP SAVE MARINE LIFE FROM HOME

BY: Isabella Caprario

The ocean is more than just a mysterious and beautiful place that sparks the imagination. Scientists say that approximately 50 to 80-percent of the earth’s oxygen production comes from our oceans. A variety of marine life requires a clean ocean to breathe and thrive. Today, the world’s oceans are facing unprecedented danger due to various issues, including overfishing, pollution, oil spills, and more. Climate change is also affecting ocean animals and the cleanliness of the sea. Whether you want to save the whales or just do your part to keep the oceans cleaner, there are several things we can all do at home to promote a cleaner, safer oceanic environment. Read on to discover ways to help protect the ocean and save marine life, all from your own home.

READ MORE…https://porch.com/advice/protect-the-ocean

Gaming Computer Video Card Prices Dropping - Good news for computer recycling near me

Laptops, desktops, gaming computers - new or computer recycling near me, with or without corporate pickup. Graphics card prices are coming down.

GPU prices are finally coming down after being stuck in an upward trajectory for the past year or so. According to prices on various Indian retailers, and more widely, around the world, GPU prices have started falling when compared to the past few weeks.

And there is still more to come – prices of some popular graphics cards are still over 25% more than the maximum retail prices set by the manufacturers.

READ MORE IN BUSINESS INSIDER INDIA

How Soaring E Waste Pollution Is Putting Lives at Risk

BY APRIL MILLERAMERICASMAR 3RD 2022

It’s no secret that humans generate all manners of waste. Residential and commercial waste exist, including municipal, animal and industrial, radioactive or hazardous waste, and more. It must then be managed through reusing, recycling, storage, treatment or disposal. Most of it is sent to one of the many landfills scattered throughout the country.

One type of waste that people may not be aware of is electronic waste, more commonly known as e-waste. E-waste is becoming a more significant issue, especially as we become more dependent on technology. Below, we will learn more about e-waste, how big an issue e-waste is, and what type of impact a growing amount of e waste pollution has on the environment. READ MORE…

Thank You!

We appreciate our community and are glad to be able to serve our local residents, schools, organizations and businesses. We’ve had a record year in the amount of ewaste recycled, computers donated and sold, interns trained and money donated to schools and school foundations.

We are grateful for this opportunity and look forward to doing even more in the New Year! Wishing you all the very best and hoping for a safe, healthy and prosperous (however you may define that) 2022.

TE Hits 100 Tons

Triangle Ecycling Has Kept 100 Tons of Toxic Ewaste Out of Durham’s Landfill Year-to-Date.

Imagine a convoy of 14 trailer trucks packed full of old computers, printers, monitors, batteries and other discarded electronics pulling up to the dump and dropping it into a big hole to leach toxins into the earth for the next 1,000 years. One Durham small business/nonprofit has prevented that from happening, this year alone.

Triangle Ecycling, announced today that it has recycled the benchmark weight of 100 tons of toxic ewaste since January 2021. Now in its 11th year of serving the Triangle Community, the grand total is many times that.

Larry Herst, Founder/CEO said, “We are grateful to be able to support the businesses, schools and organizations from downtown Durham, Raleigh, RTP and beyond that use our recycling services. These clients and our individual community customers using our free drop-off help us to make a positive environmental impact.”

“And that number doesn’t include the more than 1,000 computers we have refurbished this year and donated to local nonprofits and students or sold to support our educational program. We even pull old processors from desktops before recycling to remarket and play a small role in reducing the chip shortage that has disrupted the global supply chain,” added Herst.

Triangle Ecycling is a triple bottom line business that gives 10% of its profits to the Durham Public Schools Foundation in support of Digital Equity. It works closely with the CTE Division of DPS and Durham Tech through its semester-long internship program which has graduated over 140 students. In the past month it has established a computer lab for the Thresholds nonprofit, donated laptops for the DPS Student of the Month and provided computers to mothers graduating from the Families Moving Forward residency program.

Triangle Ecycling is self-sustaining but this year it established Ecycling4Good, to raise funds for a coalition of environmentally-oriented Durham nonprofits empowering community members to support their work during this difficult pandemic year.