Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Electronics Handled by North American Recycling Processors Declines

The volume of electronics to be handled by North American recycling processors is expected to decline, according to numerous observers.

As noted in recent issues of this newsletter, information technology sales are slowing down as businesses and consumers keep their wallets shut. Electronics producers expect fourth quarter sales to be lower than a year ago, with many IT users choosing to set aside purchasing needs and extend the life of existing computers, servers and other products.

At the same time, new IT products are getting smaller. For instance, a combination of market research studies suggests that domestic desktop computer sales will rise only one percent this year, to about 159 million units, while sales of laptop computers will grow nearly 31 percent, to about 135 million.

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Source: E-Scrap News: "Available e-scrap weights to drop". Nov. 26, 2008

Friday, November 21, 2008

EPA Proposes Adding Pharmaceutical Waste to Universal Waste Rule


The EPA is proposing to add hazardous pharmaceutical wastes to the Universal Waste Rule in order to provide a system for disposing hazardous pharmaceutical wastes that is protective of public health and the environment. The proposed addition will make it easier for generators to collect and properly dispose of these items as hazardous wastes, resulting in a simpler and more streamlined waste management system.


This proposed rule applies to:

* pharmacies,
* hospitals,
* physicians’ offices,
* dentists’ offices,
* outpatient care centers,
* ambulatory health care services,
* residential care facilities,
* veterinary clinics, and
* other facilities that generate hazardous pharmaceutical wastes.

The rule encourages generators to dispose of non-hazardous pharmaceutical waste as universal waste, thereby removing this unregulated waste from wastewater treatment plants and municipal solid waste landfills. The addition of hazardous pharmaceutical waste to the Universal Waste Rule will facilitate the collection of personal medications from the public at various facilities so that they can be more properly managed.

Currently the federal Universal Waste Rule includes batteries, pesticides, mercury-containing equipment, and lamps. Universal wastes are typically generated in a wide variety of settings including industrial settings and households, by many sectors of society, and may be present in significant volumes in non-hazardous waste management systems.

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Source: www.epa.gov

Friday, November 14, 2008

PWB Value Hits Lowest Point In 17 Months

The gross value of printed wiring board scrap in October 2008 was $3.57 per pound, the lowest price in 17 months, and down 10.3 percent from the September figure. The PWB value also was down 10.5 percent from October 2007's numbers. Year-to-date, the average value of board scrap is $4.08 per pound, an 11.3-percent decline over the same period in 2007.

This data represents the full metallic values of boards over time and are not the recycling values, as those values do not include the costs involved in actually extracting metal from boards, including freight, sampling charges, assay assessments, smelting, refining, process loss, return on investment, and penalties for various elements, including beryllium, bismuth and nickel.

These values are for the estimated intrinsic metal content of recovered PC boards. Some consumers label such material as mid-value. Lower-value scrap includes monitor and television boards. Higher-value scrap includes network and video cards, and motherboards.

The October value is the lowest price of the year, while the March 2008 printed-wiring board value, at $5.03 per pound, was the highest in almost seven years.

Source: E-Scrap News, Nov. 13th, 2008

Raident Technology Names John H. Choe the New CFO

Albert Lozano, president of Raident Technology, Inc. (www.raident.com), a leader in customized asset recovery solutions, has announced that John H. Choe has joined Raident as Chief Financial Officer.

Fremont, CA, November 09, 2008 --(
PR.com)-- As a CFO, Choe is responsible for overall coordinating and training of Raident’s accounting department. His primary responsibilities include overseeing regulatory matters, tax accounting and compliance, and strategic planning.

Earlier in his career, John Choe held a series of operations and finance leadership positions at KMIC Technology, Inc., Fry’s Electronics Corporation, and Arthur Andersen, LLP. Choe earned his Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting from Santa Clara University and thereafter became certified as a Public Accountant (CPA) in California.

“I am very pleased to have found in John Choe the skills, dedication, and experience necessary to implement our plans for growth as a self-sufficient company,” said Lozano. “We look forward to seeing how his talents and experience will enhance our financial operations.”

John H. Choe commented: “I am excited and welcome the opportunity to help structure this company for growth and success where environmental issues will play a bigger role in our everyday lives, and Raident Technology is taking a lead on doing its part.”

About Raident Technology, Inc.:From its corporate headquarters in Silicon Valley, Raident Technology was founded to deliver value-added asset management, asset recovery, and electronic e-Waste recycling solutions. Raident is on a fast-track growth strategy to expand its processing capacity, by both organic means and acquisitions, and to establish a leading position in the global market. It is a member of key industry groups and is committed to protecting the environment while providing high-quality, customer-specific services. In a fragmented market crowded with small, unsophisticated operations, Raident remains a trusted and respected resource.

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Contact Information
Raident Technology, Inc.

Natalia Kleschevnikova
(510) 656-3622 x 109
natalia@raident.com
www.raident.com

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

The Wide World of E-Scrap — WEEE Edition

Criticism of the WEEE Directive continues, with one key player saying WEEE is "failing to deliver on its original aims." Speaking at a conference in Brussels, Belgium, Axion Recycling's (Bramhall, England) Sales Director, Keith Freegard called for the handling of WEEE waste streams inside of Europe, in part to stem the "level of waste being exported to third world countries."

It's clear that that the WEEE Directive is failing to deliver what it originally set out to do," said Freegard. "That the best treatment, recovery and recycling techniques should be applied to maximize material re-use and to minimize risks to human health and the environment."

A recent story on letsrecycle.com (London), has a WEEE reprocessors warning that the recent market difficulties — in particular the sharp fall in plastics and metals prices — will cause rising prices through the entire WEEE chain.

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Source: E-Scrap News, Nov. 6, 2008

Obama Win Bolsters Hopes of National E-scrap Legislation

With the close of the historic campaign of President-Elect Barack Obama, all eyes turn to what effect his win has on the multitude of issues facing the country. The growing importance — and media profile — of end-of-life electronics management makes it possible that some progress may happen on a national level. With the profliferation of patchwork state programs — 17 have been signed into law at present — will the Obama presidency see a national e-scrap bill in its own right?

"Obama's election opens up the door wide open for more environmental legislation," said David Daoud, research manager for IDC's Personal Computing, PC Trackers and Green IT Programs. "With his comment in his acceptance speech on a 'planet in peril,' there is no doubt the environment will become front and center in the next four years."

In an interview with DISCOVER Magazine (New York) before the election, Obama expressed support for "challeng[ing] manufacturers of computers, printers, and other electronic equipment to more effectively take back these products," leaving some hopeful for concrete action.

"The change in the administration and Congress can only bode well for those that wish to see environmental initiatives, concern about toxic trade, both imports and exports, and engagement in international environmental agreements like the Basel Convention," said Jim Puckett, founder of the Basel Action Network (Seattle). "Time will tell, but things are now more hopeful than ever that we will see legislation that not only requires manufacturers to collect e-waste and divert it from landfills, but to prevent it from being dumped offshore as well."

Though the likelihood of a stand-alone bill seems unlikely, something could get packaged into a larger bill covering energy, like with the recent passage of the Recycling Investment Saves Energy Act, bundled with the $700 billion economic bail-out package. "It will likely begin with a more proactive mandate for [the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (Washington)], but with the Democrats winning more seats, we are likely to see fresh federal legislation in the areas of e-scrap and electronic waste," said Daoud.

"I suspect states will fight hard to keep their privileges so as not to cannibalize on revenue opportunity existing, and planned, e-scrap programs generate," Daoud continued. "At the end, one should expect some serious changes in the way the federal government approaches environmental issues, and e-scrap programs are not going to be spared from this loud voice of change."

Consumer Electronics Association President and CEO Gary Shapiro released a statement today, congratulating Obama on his win, and didn't miss the opportunity to press for a national measure. "We look forward to working with President-elect Obama to find innovative new ways to protect our environment through such measures as a national approach for recycling and energy efficiency," said Shapiro.

Of course, industry will is not the only ingredient needed for a national approach. "Let's remember that the main obstacle to federal takeback legislation hasn't been objections from the Administration — it's been disagreement within the industry and other stakeholders about what direction the legislation should take," said Barbara Kyle, national coordinator for the Electronics TakeBack Coalition (San Francisco).

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Source: E-Scrap News, Nov. 6, 2008