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Video - The Story of Waste

November 29, 2014 Add Comment Edit

The story of waste is about more than purposeless resource depletion, it is a sad tale of environmental destruction and a tragic saga of famine and starvation. There are over eight hundred million hungry people in the world today and two and a half million children die each year from malnutrition. A total of sixteen percent of climate change causing methane emissions in landfills emanate from food waste.

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Video: The Perils of Plastic Waste
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Event - EcoWASTE 2015: Waste Management for Sustainable Development

November 23, 2014 Add Comment Edit

This event will take place on January 19 - 22, 2015 at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre. EcoWASTE 2015 is part of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week). Hosted by Masdar and held in partnership with Tadweer, this event will cover the entire solid waste management services and solutions required to address the dramatic increase per capita of waste production in the region and the new methods of reusing, reducing and recycling whilst maintaining a sustainable environment, in an effort to:

Help strengthen solid waste management efficiency
Spread awareness among communities to improve the quality of life enjoyed and expected
Address regulatory mandates developed with budget conscious, innovative and functional design solutions
Highlight all the efforts, achievements and strategies of CWM as a lead agency responsible for controlling and coordinating waste management activities throughout the Emirate of Abu Dhabi

EcoWASTE is an exhibition that aims to become the international leading specialised event for sustainable waste management and recycling, bringing together leading local and international technology and service providers, local and regional buyers, and industry professionals from both the private and public sectors.

50 leading local and international suppliers and more than 2,000 regional buyers and professionals. EcoWASTE 2015 will take place in Abu Dhabi from 19 to 22 January 2015, at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre. Hosted by Masdar, held in partnership with Tadweer The Center of Waste Management in Abu Dhabi (CWM), and co-located with the World Future Energy Summit (WFES) and the International Water Summit (IWS), EcoWASTE is part of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW), and aims to support the region's urgent waste disposal challenges and needs in the quest for sustainable development and environmental protection.

Explore New Business Opportunities in EcoWASTE

Solid waste in its different forms and components is a major environmental issue that receives a great deal of attention nationwide. The Emirate of Abu Dhabi has supported the establishment of several landfills that meet standard hygienic requirements.

Waste-to-energy has quickly emerged as one of the most attractive renewable energy options for the UAE, given its cost competitiveness and ability to ease the UAE’s urgent waste disposal challenges. Most recent researches show that Abu Dhabi produces over 6 million tons of waste in total. This number is expected to reach 30 million tons if the growth of the Emirate is steady. Preliminary estimates put the total volume of solid waste generated in the GCC region at around 120 million tons per year.

To register click here.

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The Waste Hydrogen Utilization Project
Video: The Perils of Plastic Waste
E-Waste: A New Business Opportunity
Recycling In America: More Than Just A Feel Good Experience

Electronics Industry Problems and Solutions (2014 Greenpeace Report)

September 10, 2014 Add Comment Edit

The proliferation of electronics represents a major environmental hazard. It is estimated that we will buy 2.5 billion mobiles, computers and tablets this year. In total there will soon be more digital devices than people on the planet. As of 2012 that amounted to nearly 8kg of e-waste for every person on the planet. As the amount of electronics grows it has never been more important to consider how these devices are made and how they are disposed of.

Many big electronics firms are responding to public pressure to make improvements to the way these devices are made and how they are managed at the end of their life cycle. Electronic devices now contain less hazardous substances and are more efficient. However, far more needs to be done. The industry will need to develop innovative solutions to curb this growing problem.

Greenpeace has been at the forefront of efforts pushing for greater responsibility from the electronics industry. In September, 2014, Greenpeace released a report titled, "Green Gadgets: Designing the Future." The report is subtitled, "The path to greener electronics."

Here is a summary of the problems and the solutions contained in the report:

The Problems

1) E-wasted

Making billions of devices that often last for just a couple of years is a) incredibly resource intensive and b) incredibly wasteful if all the energy, raw materials and chemicals used in electronics are discarded as e-waste.

2) Toxic Truth

Many of the hazardous substances currently used in the products and in manufacturing can damage human health and the environment, especially in manufacturing centres in China, Taiwan, South Korea and Japan.

3) Designed for the dump

Today many of our products are designed to become obsolete with no or little ability to repair or upgrade, fuelling a throwaway culture that leads to greater resource consumption and creating mountains of waste.

The Solutions

1) An Energy Revolution

Increasing renewable energy use in manufacturing is key to reducing the environmental footprint of our products. Apple is building the world’s first electronics components factory powered only by renewable energy in the US. With solar power growing fast in manufacturing centres like China and Japan, wouldn’t it be great if our devices were made with 100% renewable energy? It’s time to think big.

2) A Toxic-Free Future

Half of the mobile phone market is now free of the worst hazardous chemicals, up from zero in 2006. That’s progress. What if companies extended that to all products and followed the example of leading clothing brands by ‘Detoxing’ their entire supply chains? It’s possible. Our gadgets should not come at the price of human health or the safety of our future generations.

3) Design innovation: Products made to last

The sector must shift to providing products that have a long lifespan and are easily upgraded and repairable. As more and more devices are sold we must make sure we can get the most out of the resources and energy used in electronics manufacturing. There are already examples of innovation along these lines, for example Phoneblocks and Motorola’s Project Ara, that allow users to repair or replace their devices.

Click here to read Green Gadgets: Designing the future.

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Webinar - Waste Management Operations

August 11, 2014 Add Comment Edit

A 30 minute complimentary webinar on waste management operations will take place on Thursday, August 14th at 11am PDT / 2pm EDT. Organizations across North America are realizing significant cost benefits as a result of simple shifts in their waste management operations. Host Erik Makinson, the Director of Waste Solutions at Ecova will conduct a live Q&A session following the webinar.

This webinar will offer insightful information on the actions that your business can take to keep your margins from wasting away:

Move beyond hauler management to discover the next layer of savings
Identify cost drivers that impact your bottom line
Discover actionable opportunities to start saving today

To register click here.

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Event - Waste Management Executive Sustainability Forum

July 27, 2014 Add Comment Edit

This event will take place on January 27, 2015 Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale at Troon North in Scottsdale, AZ Join the innovators and opinion leaders of sustainability for the Waste Management Executive Sustainability Forum.

For five years running, the top names in the field have broken new ground at the Forum. Here, in a one-day event that includes keynote addresses, panel discussions and breakout sessions, Forum experts and attendees immerse themselves in the latest strategies and solutions for achieving environmental excellence.

For more information or to register click here

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The Waste Hydrogen Utilization Project
Video: The Perils of Plastic Waste
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Course - Understanding Municipal Waste to Energy (MSW) Technology & Markets

June 24, 2014 Add Comment Edit

This course takes place on July 24 - 25, 2014 in London, UK. It provides a comprehensive analysis of conversion technologies for municipal solid waste and the market growth opportunities for selling MSW energy products. The focuses on the sources and limitations of feedstocks available for waste to energy projects. It also gives the necessary background to compare and evaluate the conversion technologies available to create energy or energy carriers from waste. It will demystify the many terminologies and technologies used to describe the complex map of conversion pathways. Finally it will address the policy and investment drivers behind MSW to energy projects as well as describe the current market and future market opportunities, including key economic challenges and risks.

Course overview

The waste to energy industry is set to reach $26 billion by 2016 and growing worldwide at a rapid rate. And driven by a growing policy and practical requirement to close or reduce waste to landfill sites.

This imperative to reduce or remove municipal waste is driving and enabled in particular by the development of new advanced thermal technologies. This goes beyond traditional, volume-reducing “incineration” and instead allow the production of useful end-use energy or energy carriers.

Level & Style

The course presents a variety of technological and other principles and terminology, but all are explained in a clear, business-friendly manner, making no assumption of prior technical knowledge.

Thus it is specifically suited to senior business people, both newcomers to the waste-to-energy business or to those in commercially-focused roles within the industry who need a clear understanding of how complex technologies can impact overall business success.

It is not designed as “hands-on” training for field engineers or installers. Content is delivered throughout in an informal, interactive manner, encouraging questions and discussion and attendees, and using a variety of presentation media.

Who should attend?

Those involved in:

Business development and strategy
Investment and financial planning
Environmental and waste management Legal and contracting
Project management and development
Policy planning

From:

Waste management companies
Local and City authorities
Large enterprises and corporations
W2E technology vendors
W2E project developers and investors
National governments and policymakers
Project finance and other funding providers
Lawyers
And others with a business interest in the waste-to-energy industry

Supporting materials you will receive

Hard and soft copies of presentation materials Excel spreadsheets and models Latest industry case studies and examples Comprehensive reading list for further study after the course A certificate of attendance

Click here to register.

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Event - 5th China Solid Waste Management Summit 2014

June 08, 2014 Add Comment Edit

The 5th China Solid Waste Management Summit will take place on June 11-12, 2014 in Shanghai / China. This is China's largest international solid waste management conference linking project owners, developers and contractors with technology vendors, system integrators, investors and consultants for networking, knowledge-sharing and partnership opportunities.

The 5th China Solid Waste Management Summit 2014 will provide you with a comprehensive picture of regulatory changes, operations management know-hows, local & international investment opportunities, innovative waste management and pollution control technologies, and trends of various treatment techniques on a commercial basis in the context of an accelerated economic restructuring in the world's second largest economy and more stringent emission requirements both in China and across the world.

For more information click here.

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Event - World Waste to Energy City Summit

May 18, 2014 Add Comment Edit

The World Waste to Energy City Summit will take place on May 21 - 22, 2014 in London, UK. This event will provide two days of interactive debate and networking. Presented by Rethink events, this summit will will once again bring together the leading players in the advanced waste to energy sector with the most active funders in the market.

Participants at this summit can access global opportunities in advanced conversion to power, fuels and chemicals. The 2014 event will bring together its best ever faculty of international waste management CEOs, developers, bankers, private equity financiers, technology providers and industrial end users for two days of intensive networking.

With a firm focus on advanced conversion technologies, the summit addresses the need for innovation – not just in technology, but in policy, finance and partnership models – in order to accelerate the growth of the industry worldwide.

New for 2014

Pre-arrange one-to-one meetings with your most important contacts via our online partnering software. Find out who’s attending the summit, browse profiles, secure meetings with potential partners and maximize your networking time whilst at the summit.

Highlights of the 2014 Programme

•UK waste management CEOs return for their annual debate on the advanced waste to energy market •Keynote speakers from Malaysia, Kuwait, Abu Dhabi and Poland offer insight into new international market opportunities
•10 leading bankers and private equity financiers discuss their attitudes to the risk and reward of merchant facilities
•Air Products, New Earth and Energos share the secret to getting a new project off the ground •Lanzatech, Clariant Produkte, Solena, Enerkem and APP debate the market potential for high-value fuels and chemicals from waste
•Local authority procurement professionals from Merseyside, Milton Keynes and the GLA reveal the impact of W2E projects on urban communities
•One-to-one meetings take place throughout the summit giving delegates the opportunities to meet face to face with potential partners from 25 countries.

For more information or to register click here.

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Event - 5th Cherry Hill Earth Festival

April 20, 2014 Add Comment Edit

This Festival will take place on Saturday, April 26, at Cherry Hill, Camden County, New Jersey. More than 90 displays, vendors, and activities along with an e-waste recycling collection will be part of the family-friendly event that includes bike rides, entertainment, healthy food choices, a Phillie Phanatic appearance and more. Admission is free. The annual event is a collaboration between Cherry Hill Township and Sustainable Cherry Hill. The event marks the start of the annual Art Blooms in Cherry Hill event April 26-May 10.

1. Register & Ride- Bring family, friends and neighbors ages 8+ for the 2 & 9-mile Family Fun Bike Ride. Everyone must wear a helmet.

2. Recycle E-Waste: electronics recycling by E-Force on Bortons Mill Road. (No TVs, glass monitors, smoke detectors) + recycle: wire hangers; plastic shopping bags -to be turned into pellets for building applications, sneakers, shoes, batteries AND bring non-perishable food for the Cherry Hill Food Pantry.

3. Move to the Music: Entertainment on two stages starts at 9:40 a.m. + all-day -Little Stevie & His Electric Mojo near the Croft Farm sculpture & The Phillie Phanatic at 12:45 p.m.

4. Plant & grow: several displays including presenting sponsor Ravitz Shoprite with free or low-cost plants; plant exchange-bring your extra garden plants and take new ones home; pick up free township compost.

5. Visit the Earth Festival sponsors & all displays: enjoy all-things green; Sign up for a discounted home energy check-up with Hutchinson; get a LourdesCare chair massage and health tips; Learn about Ravitz ShopRite’s green & organic programs.

Schools_PTA_MonaNew this year is an Ambassador Corps of volunteers – many are Cherry Hill high school students completing community service hours. The Sustainable Cherry Hill executive board will welcome visitors to contribute to a large display and create a ‘post-it’ declaring “One Thing” they hope for in protecting and preserving the environment.

A team of creative volunteers will fan out during the festival to encourage visitors to express their thoughts about protecting the Earth. The festival’s ‘artist in residence,’ Caley Vickerman, a leader of “Guerilla Haiku” will lead the students in creating an Earth Festival haiku clothesline display and a black-top area for chalk haiku art.

The many Earth Festival displays include:

Free seed planting
Crafts and other items for purchase made from recycled or re-purposed goods
School-based projects focusing on sustainability
Ways to conserve energy for homes and small businesses
Health & wellness information including LourdesCare chair massages

Entertainment takes place starting at 9:40 a.m. and lasts throughout the day featuring students from Mann, Kingston, Rosa, and Carusi schoolIMG_3290s, and professional performers – The DG Band, Little Stevie and his Electric Mojo, Haley Alexandra, RC Rosell, The Cherry Hill Pine Barons Barbershop Chorus along with groups from Kobukan Karate, Dance Arts Cherry Hill, Kempo Family Fitness and Happy Feet Dance Studio. The Phillie Phanatic goes “green” on the festival grounds about 1 p.m.

Other festival events include:

Family and kid fun: moon bounce, face-painting (fee) and free carnival games Healthy food selections from Chimp Aid Café, J-Dogs

The festival is made possible in part by generous presenting sponsors: Hutchinson Plumbing, Heating and Cooling, LourdesCare of Cherry Hill and Ravitz Family Foundation; Leadership sponsors include: Sustainable Camden County, Investors Bank, M. Rosenblatt Roofing and Flaster Greenberg. For more Earth Festival information, contact Brenda Jorett, Brenda@brendajorett.com. Hear a KYW Newsradio segment about the Earth Festival..

ENTERTAINMENT begins at 9:40 a.m.:

Rosettes and Close Harmony from Rosa International Middle School
Kobukan Karate
Kingston chorus
The DG Band
Dance Arts Cherry Hill
Kempo Family Fitness
Haley Alexandra
Cherry Hill Pine Barons Barbershop Chorus
RC Rossell
Happy Feet Dance Studio performers
Mann Elementary School
Carusi Jazz band
Little Stevie and his Electric Mojo

The 5th Cherry Hill Earth Festival is receiving national exposure as a partner with the EARTH DAY NETWORK. The non-profit organization this year is focusing on The Green Cities Campaign: The campaign “will mobilize key constituencies globally to create new and widespread support for environmentally progressive policies.”

For more information click here.

Related
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Video - Electronics Built in Bad Design
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Infographic - Export of e-waste to Dumping Sites
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Greenpeace e-Waste Investigation (Video)
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The US Desire to be "Green" is Causing an e-Waste Hell China (Video)

Event - CleanEnviro Summit Singapore (CESS)

April 06, 2014 Add Comment Edit

CleanEnviro Summit Singapore (CESS) will take place on June 1-4, 2014 at the Sands Expo and Convention Center, Marina Bay Sands, Singapore. With waste volumes of all kinds increasing in the Asia Pacific region, Singapore believes that it is timely for a serious dialogue to begin on how the region's cities will overcome the challenges of waste management. While much of the current focus is on water and energy issues, waste is an important part of the equation. We cannot solve one part of this equation without solving the other parts. The water-waste-energy nexus will therefore be a key challenge for Asia's growing urban regions.

The Clean Environment Leaders Summit gathers the world's top environment leaders from the public and private sectors, international organisations and think-tanks, to discuss global environment issues, share knowledge, and shape thought leadership and policies on developing sustainable environmental management solutions. At the CESS 2014, expect more than 500 leaders to come together for a meaningful discourse on environmental issues.

CESS comprises the following key events:

Business Forums
In-Conversation Session
Opening Plenary
Clean Environment Leaders Summit
Clean Environment Regulators Roundtable
Clean Environment Convention

Technology Showcase @ WasteMET Asia and CleanMET Asia

For more information or to register click here.

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Event - Waste Management & Recycling Exhibition

February 09, 2014 Add Comment Edit

Waste Management & Recycling Exhibition will take place on March 5 - 7 at the Inter Expo Center in Sophia, Bulgaria. Keeping pace with the market trends and demand ‘Save the Planet’ Exhibition encourages the waste and recycling technology transfer to South-East Europe. The countries in South-East Europe no matter they are EU members or not, they are all aiming in becoming a part of the vision of the European recycling society. The governments across the Region are updating their national legislations and regulations, as well as are modernizing the old infrastructure which includes the creation of regional waste disposal systems, construction and exploitation of large scale waste and wastewater treatment plants, etc.

Most of the countries, EU members, incl. Romania, Bulgaria, Greece, Croatia, have to meet specific EU objectives. The countries must recycle 50 % of its waste by 2020 and reduce the disposal of biodegradable waste to 25 % of total volume. Commendable is the fact that the rehabilitation of old landfills has been started. The demand for separating -, baling- and recycling machines has been increased and many international companies have entered the Regional market. The increasingly popular process of composting green waste and/or food waste has implemented the interest in composting machines as well, especially in the compost turners.

Keeping pace with the market trends and demand ‘Save the Planet’ Exhibition encourages the waste and recycling technology transfer to South-East Europe. It will provide participants with a quick market entry and opportunity to meet face-to-face state and municipal representatives e.g. government officials, mayors, ecologists; branch associations; investors and entrepreneurs; executives from the sectors: waste management, recycling, ecology and related industry branches.

For more information or to register click here.

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Course - Social LIfe Cycle Assessment (Barcelona, Spain)

January 20, 2014 Add Comment Edit

The course on on Social LIfe Cycle Assessment will take place in Barcelona Spain and will start on Wednesday, February 19, 2014 and run through Friday, February 21, 2014. This course is composed of 10 hours of lectures and 10 hours of workshops/exercises. It is an ILCA Approved ILCA course.

The course covers both the theory and practice of social LCA. It introduces the theory and background, the reasons for incorporating social impacts into life cycle assessment, as well as the difficulties related to their evaluation. A background to important social issues will be given, along with an examination of the UNEP-SETAC S-LCA Guidelines. The course includes practical work on the basis of these guidelines, and practical application of the current S-LCA methods. Students will closely examine stakeholder groups and subcategories, and their policy relevance. The concept of Creating Shared Value (CSV) will also be introduced and applied in exercises. Data collection exercises will demonstrate the available data sources for S-LCA and the necessary precautions needed for their application and interpretation. Case studies with different assessment methods, including fully quantitative, will be used to identify hotspots, and explore the options and justification for aggregating data across impact categories.

Course Outline (Lectures and Exercises on):

◦Context and terminology: Sustainable development, human well-being, sustainable consumption and production, Social Responsibility, Life Cycle Thinking, related techniques and tools for assessment.
◦Differences and similarities between Social LCA, biophysical LCA, Life Cycle Costing, Social Responsibility, and other environmental and social impact assessment tools.
◦Selection of impact categories, subcategories and characterization models. Impact categories from a philosophical perspective.
◦The UNEP-SETAC S-LCA Guidelines in-depth. Stakeholders and their relevance to S-LCA. Distinguishing between stakeholder categories, subcategories, inventory indicators, inventory data, impact pathways and characterisation factors.
◦Quantitative, semi-quantitative and qualitative data and assessment methods
◦Introduction to and comparison of practical methods: The quantitative social pressure indicators by B.P. Weidema; The PROSA method, The Hot Spot database, The Humtec RWTH approach.
◦Data sources: Generic and site-specific data. Using statistical data for Life Cycle Screening. Exercise with the Social Hot Spot Database. Data collection in the field. Data quality and uncertainty assessment.
◦Practical work with quantitative social pressure indicators.
◦Life cycle impact assessment for S-LCA. Identifying social and environmental hot spots. Aggregating across impact categories.
◦Life cycle interpretation for S-LCA.
◦Linking results to E-LCA and LCC. Communication of results.
◦Challenges in S-LCA.

Learning Outcomes:

Knowledge of the background and need for S-LCA. Understanding of the differences between the scopes of different environmental and social impact assessment tools. Comprehension of the UNEP-SETAC guidelines for S-LCA. Ability to identify data sources and organise data collection. Ability to select relevant impact categories, subcategories and characterization models. Understanding how to apply quantitative social pressure indicators and impact categories form a philosophical perspective. Ability to identify social and environmental hotspots.

Academic Recognition:

2 ECTS. This includes reading a mandatory list of literature references. Participant Prerequisites: Masters degree or equivalent. Must bring own laptop computer. A good understanding and/or experience with life cycle assessment is an asset.

For more information or to register click here.

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Video - Extended Producer Responsibility for Post-Consumer Packaging

January 18, 2014 Add Comment Edit

Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) is an effort designed to reduce the waste we send to landfill. Unfinished Business describes how EPR shifts the responsibility for post-consumer packaging materials from taxpayers and governments to the companies that produce the packaging.
As You Sow illustrates how EPR creates incentives for producers to reduce the amount of packaging they create, increasing US packaging recycling rates, providing revenue to improve recycling systems, and reducing carbon and energy use. To learn more click here.

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Video - Electronics Built in Bad Design

December 28, 2013 Add Comment Edit

Massive consumption of consumer electronics is a serious and growing problem, particularly when it comes to the millions of tons of toxic e-waste generated each year. This video is part of the series of animations from the maker of The Story of Stuff. This latest movie is aimed at the “design for the dump” mentality that the electronics industry has adopted in an effort to increase their profits. Instead of designing things to break or fail the video encourages the industry to adapt to the “green times” and encourages product take back, reducing toxic components, making STUFF longer lasting and more easily recyclable and fixable.

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Video - Problems in the Life Cycle of a Smartphone

December 28, 2013 Add Comment Edit

Smartphones are among the most popular consumer and lifestyle products today. Unfortunately a whole series of problems occur during the global production process, ranging from bad working conditions to environmental pollution. This video reviews the problems in the life of a smartphone from the production of raw materials through to processing, distribution, usage and disposal.

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December 18, 2013 Add Comment Edit

Event - End of Waste Conference

December 15, 2013 Add Comment Edit

The End of Waste Conference will take place on Thursday, January 30, 2014, 76 Portland Place, London, UK. This second edition of this highly successful Conference will look in more detail at how End of Waste regulations may affect your business.

The Standard Fee is £195.00. You can also register a group. You will have the opportunity to add additional group members later in the registration process. If there are fees associated with this event, the total fees for all registrants in the group will be charged to the first person in the group. If members of the group are paying individually (for example, with different credit cards), please create separate registrations for each.

For more information click here or contact Event Executives Daniella Jarvie-Thomas at telephone number 020 7633 4524 (Email daniella.t@letsrecycle.com) or Abby Tarrant at telephone number 020 7633 4518 (Email: abby.t@letsrecycle.com)

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Event - Reducing and Managing Waste in the UK

December 15, 2013 Add Comment Edit

Reducing and managing waste in the UK is subtitled implementing the Waste Prevention Programme and moving towards a ‘zero waste’ economy. This event will take place on January, 21, 2014 at the Westminster Energy, Environment & Transport Forum in Central London. Key issues facing the UK in waste management will be addressed including the priorities for the Waste Prevention Programme.

The guest of honour will be Karen Lepper, Deputy Director, Waste Strategy and Management, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. The event is timed to take place shortly after the publication of the Government's Waste Prevention Programme for England at the end of 2013. This seminar will be a timely opportunity to assess progress and next steps in the UK's efforts to move towards a 'zero waste economy'.

Planned sessions include key stakeholder perspectives on the overall content of the Waste Prevention Programme and the priorities for implementation, as well as how best to positively address the associated behavioural and practical barriers for businesses and consumers to maximise savings.

Further sessions will look more widely at waste policy in the UK - including an assessment of the Government's efforts to increase the use of anaerobic digestion and introduce more voluntary responsibility deals to ensure that businesses are taking a more sustainable approach to waste management and that a proportion of the goods are recycled. Delegates will also discuss industry concerns, in the wake of further reductions to Defra's budget as part of the latest Spending Review, for delivering waste reduction policies in the UK.

Topics that will be explored include: Towards Zero Waste in Wales and The Impact of the Zero Waste Scotland initiative, Waste strategies: The future for finance and investment. Innovation and investment in energy recovery and waste strategies. The next steps towards a zero waste economy.

For more information or to register click here.

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Infographic - Export of e-waste to Dumping Sites

December 05, 2013 Add Comment Edit

US e-Waste: Review of Recycling and Other Efforts

December 05, 2013 Add Comment Edit

In 2013 e-waste management efforts in the US continued in earnest, however, there is a big discrepancy between the leaders and the laggards. While we are seeing ongoing adoption of accreditation standards like R2 and e-Stewards, these are far from being universally accepted. Nonetheless, a June 2013 report from the U.S. EPA titled "Municipal Solid Waste in the United States: 2011 Facts and Figures," (PDF) shows that the US is generating more e-waste but is also recycling more of it.

A July 2013 Recycling Today story suggests that increases in recycling are attributable to an increasingly favorable market for plastics and electronic recycling. They attribute this to a variety of factors including increased enforcement of Chinese scrap metal import specifications and domestic green initiatives.

In 2011, the Obama administration launched a national strategy to encourage better e-waste management. Overall companies are responding with a consorted effort to encourage certified electronics recycling. Dell, Sony, and Sprint have all joined an industry partnership with the EPA to promote environmentally sound management of electronicsincluding recycling. The CEOs of Dell and Sprint have signed a voluntary commitment with the EPA to promote a U.S.-based electronics recycling market.

Under the EPA strategy called the National Strategy for Electronics Stewardship (PDF), the federal government’s purchasing arm will only buy IT products that comply with environmental performance standards, it will also ensure that all government electronics are reused or recycled properly. Under the strategy, the federal government is committed to promote the development of more efficient and sustainable electronic products; Support recycling options and systems for American consumers; and Strengthen America’s role in the international electronics stewardship arena.

Some criticized the strategy for its failure to prevent e-waste exporting. However, the concern that most of the US' electronic waste is simply being exported to foreign shores is refuted by an investigation by the United States International Trade Commission. Their February 2013 report, “Used Electronic Products: An Examination of U.S. Exports“, found that only about 20 percent of exported electronics waste was winding up in foreign landfills. The e-Steward standard does not allow vendors to export toxic e-waste to developing countries.

One of the leading mobile phone and tablet buyback companies is e-Cycle LLC. They received two Global Business Excellence Awards for Outstanding Green Initiatives and Outstanding Service. They have been widely recognized for their commitment to protecting the environment and delivering high-quality services to businesses, organizations and consumers. In August, 2013, e-Cycle went issued a challenge to other companies asking them to stop illegal dumping in developing countries.

In October 2013, Samsung, Best Buy, Dell, HP Samsung received the inaugural eCycling Leadership Award from the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) for leading recycling efforts in the electronics. For more information click here.

As reported in a November, 2013, Environmental Leader article, Sprint recycles or reuses 44 percent of its total 2012 smartphone sales. Verizon recycles or reuses 28 percent of all devices (not just smartphones) and AT&T recycles 11.5 percent of total smartphone sales.

There are some new or improved technologies in electronics recycling that are also helping, they include hard drive degausers, Eco ATM kiosks and hydrometallurgical precious metals refining.

According to the Electronics TakeBack Coalition, Staples, Best Buy and Office Depot are making a serious effort to help consumers recycle their old electronic products. However, more than half of the 16 retailers assessed received failing grades, including retail giants Walmart, Amazon, Costco, Sam’s Club and Sears. The report found that TVs are the hardest items for consumers to recycle. While 9 retailers offer trade-in programs, only two of them (Best Buy and Radio Shack) let you bring trade-in items back to their stores. The others require consumers to ship their old products back to the trade-in vendor for credit. Six of the 16 (37 percent) retailers are using certified e-Stewards for their recycling or trade-in.

© 2013, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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