Electronics

ERI launches electronics recycling mail-back program in Los Angeles

LA Sanitation and ERI, a Fresno, California-based electronic scrap recycler and information technology asset disposition (ITAD) and cybersecurity-focused hardware destruction company, have announced the launch Los Angeles’ first electronics recycling mail-back program.

The program aims to make recycling electronics more convenient for Los Angeles residents by offering another option in addition to the already established free drop-off locations, the organizations say.

The new program enables Los Angeles County customers to mail unwanted consumer electronics directly to ERI for a fee. The program is geared toward residents, businesses and other organizations seeking convenience, ERI says.

Specially designed boxes, available in multiple sizes, can be purchased at http://lasan.eridirect.com. The boxes range in cost from $30 to $90, depending on size. The price of each box includes:

• delivery of a new, empty box;
• return shipping to ERI’s processing facility;
• environmental certifications;
• National Association of Information Destruction- (NAID-) certified secure data destruction; and
• an official certificate of recycling.

“By offering more options for our customers to recycle their electronic waste, we are living up to our mission of protecting public health and the environment,” says LA Sanitation Executive Director and General Manager Enrique C. Zaldivar. “Now customers can choose between visiting one of several S.A.F.E. Center locations or having a box delivered right to their doors.”

A list of acceptable and unacceptable items is available at http://lasan.eridirect.com.

Cohen Electronics commits circuit board scrap to BlueOak

Middletown, Ohio-based Cohen Electronics and BlueOak Arkansas have announced an exclusivity contract for processing all of Cohen’s circuit board scrap at the BlueOak Arkansas facility. The e-scrap is generated at Cohen’s electronic scrap shredding operation in Middletown, Ohio, and will be converted into precious metal-bearing copper shot at the BlueOak facility.

Burlingame, California-based Blue- Oak’s plant in Osceola, Arkansas, uses what it calls proprietary, environmentally friendly technology to recover strategic and precious metals from end-of-life electronic scrap. It is backed by investors that include the Arkansas Teachers Retirement System and KPCB, a California-based venture capital fund. The plant is expected to be operational in the second quarter of 2017.

“BlueOak’s vision is to ensure the secure and sustainable recovery of strategic metals contained in end-of-life electronics within the United States,” says Ahab Garas, BlueOak Arkansas CEO. “Our goal is to set and enforce the highest possible standards in secure data destruction and sustainable e-recycling.”

Cohen Electronics, the e-scrap processing division of Cohen (formerly Cohen Bros.), says it is committed to ensuring the highest possible standards for secure data destruction and sustainability within its information technology asset disposition and e-scrap recycling operations.

“We believe there can be no shortcuts when it comes to data security and environmental standards,” says Cohen Vice President of Finance Tyler Fojtik. “Our new partnership with BlueOak further enhances our best-in-class destruction and recycling services and in doing so helps us raise the bar for secure and sustainable e-waste processing.”

CTA releases eCycling Leadership Initiative annual report

The Consumer Technology Association (CTA), Arlington, Virginia, has announced that more than 4 billion pounds of consumer electronics (CE) have been recycled since 2010 through the eCycling Leadership Initiative (ELI). According to the Sixth Annual Report of the ELI, approximately 630 million pounds of CE were recycled in 2016, which is more than double the amount recycled when the program was launched.

“As consumer demand grows for the latest consumer tech products, so does our industry’s commitment to increasing sustainability,” says Gary Shapiro, CTA president and CEO. “We want to make recycling your older tech devices as easy as purchasing new ones. And through the eCycling Leadership Initiative, we’ve proven how technology manufacturers and retailers are having a real impact on improving the environment. Ensuring a healthy planet for future generations to enjoy our greatest innovations isn’t just smart business—it’s essential to the future of the consumer technology industry.”

Spearheaded by CTA in 2011, ELI is a collaboration among manufacturers, retailers, collectors, recyclers, nongovernmental organizations and governments. Its key goals are to improve consumer awareness of the available collection sites sponsored by the industry, to increase the number of collection opportunities available to consumers and to provide transparent metrics on e-cycling efforts.

CTA highlights a number of details from the ELI report:

Walter Alcorn, CTA vice president of environmental affairs and industry sustainability, says, “Today, our favorite tech devices are smaller, lighter and recycled more often than ever before. And by working together, the industry has demonstrated its ability to harness innovation and raise consumer awareness—an effort we hope will have lasting benefits for the environment.”