News

An annual industry overview from Cascade Asset Management found resale values have largely returned to pre-pandemic levels, and a majority of surveyed IT asset managers plan to maintain or ramp up technology spending in the coming year. That suggests plenty of incoming ITAD demand.

Legislators have been filing bills all month as the 2025 session starts up, and in the e-scrap realm, two main topics are again at the forefront: extended producer responsibility for batteries and the right to repair consumer electronics. 

After a few years running his own consulting firm, new CXtec CEO Todd Zegers didn't think he'd re-enter the corporate world – until CXtec called. 

Countries within the OECD have announced how they'll each enforce new Basel Convention rules. As was foreshadowed by their previous failure to agree on uniform enforcement among all members, there is a fair amount of variance by nation.

A recent report from a U.S. occupational safety unit found significant levels of mercury vapor throughout an Ohio e-scrap and lamp recycling facility, leading the team to provide recommendations for protecting worker health.

On the heels of high-profile illegal e-scrap import claims and updates to the Basel Convention, Malaysian officials said they would be tightening operating procedures.  

The Department of Energy's aptly named E-SCRAP prize program has awarded funds to companies engaged in hard drive disassembly, rare earth magnet recovery, hydrometallurgy and e-plastics recycling. More companies are invited to apply this year.

Nine workers died in U.S. materials recovery facilities in 2023 and the death rate for refuse and recyclable material collectors jumped more than 80%, according to the latest annual numbers released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. 

Evolving technology in electronics shredding can help make value recovery more efficient and profitable, but there are several considerations companies must factor in before investing in new equipment, panelists said at the recent E-Scrap Conference.

Artificial intelligence and electric vehicles were major themes during the annual CES trade show this week, and panel discussions touched on the infrastructure – including hardware in data centers and battery recycling technology – that will be key to those segments' growth.