Electronics Recycling

Fresno, Calif.-based Electronic Recyclers, which bills itself as the largest electronics recycler in California, has announced a partnership with the Burillo Azcarraga Group of Mexico to develop ERI Mexico.

John Shegerian, president and CEO of Electronic Recyclers, announced the news of the partnership from Monterrey, Mexico, during Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s trade mission. Shegerian said that ERI Mexico will benefit from Burillo Azcarraga Group’s capital and strong multi-industry foundation in Mexico as well as Electronic Recyclers’ standard-setting business model.

"The recycling of electronic waste is a new and dynamic industry that can bring more jobs and a cleaner environment here in Mexico just as it has so successfully in the state of California," Shegerian said. "I look forward to bringing our recycling technology and infrastructure across the border to ensure that the emerging global electronic waste crisis is dealt with responsibly on both sides of the border."

"This is something that Mexico needs," said Fredrik Broberg, a partner in the joint venture. "With the right training and knowledge provided by our partners from Electronic Recyclers, we are confident that this will be a successful venture. It will provide many jobs here in Mexico, give businesses and residents a way to get rid of unwanted electronics and help keep the environment here free from hazardous materials."

Broberg said ERI Mexico will likely be operational by the middle of 2007.

In related news, Electronics Recyclers has also announced that it will be managing and recycling electronic scrap materials generated at Stanford University, Palo Alto, Calif.

American Retroworks Inc. (ARI), based in Middlebury, Vt., has established a partnership with a woman-owned cooperative to create Retroworks de Mexico (RdM) in the Sonora region of northern Mexico. The newly formed operation aims to replicate American Retroworks’ U.S. operations to recycle electronic scrap.

The new facility will recycle electronics in a manner similar to the way ARI’s Vermont facility does, using repair and salvage value to keep proper environmental management more affordable and to create more jobs, according to the company.

Representatives from RdM trained in Vermont for seven weeks.

"We are proud of the relationships we are building," says Robin Ingenthron, ARI president and a shareholder in RdM. He adds that connections with the local metal smelting industry have resulted in purchase orders to RdM for 20,000 tons of CRT glass, in either separated form for glass-to-glass recycling or as a fluxing agent.

Ingenthron says Retroworks de Mexico may eventually operate as a maquila, demanufacturing electronics from the United States for re-export of separated materials. But the facility is currently concentrating on refurbishment or recycling of computers and televisions from within Mexico.

The idea for the partnership originated with CCLAC of southern Arizona, which holds a share of RdM.

More information is available at www.retroworks.com.