The electronics industry has grown exponentially in the last 20 years and is successful in all facets. One obstacle many consumers face is what to do with devices after retirement. Electronics recycling, a lesser-known industry, is an eco-friendly way to dispose of retired IT assets. However, the industry has faced many challenges, some more recently than others.
One challenge the e-recycling industry faces is growth. Though consumers love technology, proper disposal methods are often an afterthought, and many devices end up in storage closets or junk drawers. Spreading awareness is key to enhancing growth and development within the industry, which is achieved through strategies such as ESG reporting.
Another obstacle the industry faces is embedded Lithium-Ion batteries. LIBs are known for their explosive nature when damaged, and they are the primary batteries used in almost every piece of electronics today, including airpods and automobiles. In previous years, end-of-life products could be dropped in a shredder for material recovery. Now processors must manually remove any lithium-ion batteries before shredding to prevent fires. This has increased labor costs and extra safety procedures to ensure batteries are removed and recycled safely.
Recent changes in international trade law have also created new challenges for the industry. Last year, the Basel Convention published several proposed alterations to the convention itself that would dramatically change how some end-of-life exports are managed. Due to new language, large portions of the products traditionally traded internationally as non-hazardous are now classified as hazardous. As a result, parties of the convention that want to trade these products will have to follow new procedures to document the movement of electronics destined for recycling and reuse. More importantly, parties of the convention, representing almost every country in the world, will not be able to trade with non-party countries.. The changes are set to go into effect starting January 2025 and will severely negatively impact U.S. electronics recycling companies.
Electronics recycling is critical in this digital age to protect the environment, and sustainable solutions such as design for recycling concepts are key to reducing the amount of pollution electronics create. E-recyclers not only keep e-waste out of landfills, but they also provide data security for retired IT assets.
Recovered products represent tremendous benefits in the critical mineral supply chain, and companies can help ease the environmental burden by partnering with ITAD enterprises like HOBI, which collects and disposes of retired IT assets in an environmentally friendly manner while maximizing the value of said IT assets.
HOBI is an R2v3, RIOS, WBE, and ISO-14001 certified IT asset management and disposition facility with three locations and more than 30 years of experience in the electronics recycling industry.
For more information about our ITAD services, call 817-814-2620 or contact HOBI at sales@hobi.com.