After nine years at Resource Recycling, publisher of E-Scrap News, I have decided to leave to seize life's next adventure.
As I sit here, with leaves falling and the calendar creeping toward a new year, I can't help but muse about change – about how much the industry has changed over the past nine years, about how much I've changed, and about how frightening or exciting consequential changes can be.
When I started, in December 2014, the industry looked different in many ways. E-scrap companies and state programs were grappling with a swell of CRT tonnages entering the stream. At the same time, display device producer Videocon was still tossing America's leaded glass into its furnaces in India (although the downstream disruptions began shortly thereafter). That CRT outlet has since closed, as have a number of others in the U.S. and around the world, but the volume of glass in the end-of-life stream has likewise decreased.
New market challenges have emerged: Flat-panel LCD devices are tough to recycle economically, leading to cases of stockpiles or illegal exports. An emerging concern is solar panels, which are bulky and cost more to recycle than the inherent commodity value that's unlocked (sounds familiar, right?). And now, seemingly everything has a lithium battery in it, presenting additional fire risks, and everything stores data, presenting additional data security issues. In a lot of ways, electronics recycling and reuse companies have transformed into data security providers that also recycle and reuse electronics.
And these days, certification isn't considered a "nice to have" as much as a "need to have" to win contracts.
Some of the changes I mentioned above were frightening, some exciting.
As I look back, I also can't help but reflect on how much I've changed over those same years – likely in ways I don't even realize yet. While at Resource Recycling, I married the love of my life, became daddy to the most wonderful daughter a parent could hope for and bought an idyllic house in a historic neighborhood I love.
I've experienced the satisfaction of learning about such a dynamic, varied and essential industry as electronics reuse and recycling. And I've enjoyed connecting with so many of the industry's leaders, many of whom I've also been able to call coworkers and friends. Their knowledge and perspectives have changed how I see the world in so many ways, and for that I'm incredibly grateful.
After nine years at Resource Recycling, publisher of E-Scrap News, I have decided to leave to seize life's next adventure.
As I sit here, with leaves falling and the calendar creeping toward a new year, I can't help but muse about change – about how much the industry has changed over the past nine years, about how much I've changed, and about how frightening or exciting consequential changes can be.
When I started, in December 2014, the industry looked different in many ways. E-scrap companies and state programs were grappling with a swell of CRT tonnages entering the stream. At the same time, display device producer Videocon was still tossing America's leaded glass into its furnaces in India (although the downstream disruptions began shortly thereafter). That CRT outlet has since closed, as have a number of others in the U.S. and around the world, but the volume of glass in the end-of-life stream has likewise decreased.
New market challenges have emerged: Flat-panel LCD devices are tough to recycle economically, leading to cases of stockpiles or illegal exports. An emerging concern is solar panels, which are bulky and cost more to recycle than the inherent commodity value that's unlocked (sounds familiar, right?). And now, seemingly everything has a lithium battery in it, presenting additional fire risks, and everything stores data, presenting additional data security issues. In a lot of ways, electronics recycling and reuse companies have transformed into data security providers that also recycle and reuse electronics.
And these days, certification isn't considered a "nice to have" as much as a "need to have" to win contracts.
Some of the changes I mentioned above were frightening, some exciting.
As I look back, I also can't help but reflect on how much I've changed over those same years – likely in ways I don't even realize yet. While at Resource Recycling, I married the love of my life, became daddy to the most wonderful daughter a parent could hope for and bought an idyllic house in a historic neighborhood I love.
I've experienced the satisfaction of learning about such a dynamic, varied and essential industry as electronics reuse and recycling. And I've enjoyed connecting with so many of the industry's leaders, many of whom I've also been able to call coworkers and friends. Their knowledge and perspectives have changed how I see the world in so many ways, and for that I'm incredibly grateful.
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