The speed at which technology advances and consumers purchase and replace electronic devices is staggering. As a result, the issue of e-waste management has come to the forefront as industry experts grapple with the exponential amount of e-waste entering the recycling and waste stream both in the U.S. and globally.
Bob Bilbruck, chief executive officer at Captjur, said e-waste has continued to be one of the fastest growing waste streams in the U.S. as the recycling rate for e-waste has remained relatively low compared to other recyclable materials like paper and plastic.
“Many people still dispose of their electronic devices in landfills, contributing to environmental pollution. Regarding legislation and regulations, various states have implemented or are considering legislation to address e-waste, including extended producer responsibility (EPR) laws,” Bilbruck said. “These laws shift some of the responsibility for recycling e-waste from consumers to manufacturers, which can incentivize companies to design products that are easier to recycle and develop programs that help in the recycling of these products.”
Kristy Ferguson, vice president of growth at The Junkluggers, agreed that e-waste is one of the fastest growing waste streams in the U.S. and internationally, however less than 20 percent of e-waste is formally recycled.
Consumer awareness of the environmental impact of e-waste is increasing.
“This data is alarming. The rapid expansion of technology, not to mention an increasingly consumption-driven society, results in the creation of a very large and growing amount of electronic waste or e-waste,” Ferguson said. Electronic waste accounts for two percent of the municipal waste stream but contributes more than seventy percent of the toxins.
According to Stacy Savage, founder & chief executive officer at Zero Waste Strategies, in 2019 alone, over six million tons of e-waste were generated, a 21 percent increase from just 5 years prior according to EPA estimates. Yet only 15 to 20 percent of this is properly recycled, with the rest finding its way into landfills or illegal export channels.
“Solving America’s e-waste crisis requires a multi-pronged approach that addresses excessive consumption, recycling barriers, infrastructure gaps and technological limitations,” Savage said. “And while some efforts have been made to restrict e-waste exports through voluntary industry initiatives and legislation like the Responsible Electronics Recycling Act, significant amounts of America’s e-waste continues to be exported abroad for recycling and disposal. This is often done through illegal channels to countries with less stringent environmental regulations and labor standards. More stringent oversight and domestic recycling infrastructure improvements are still needed to ethically and safely manage the e-waste generated in the U.S.”
The good news is that consumer awareness is on the rise, namely the environmental impact of e-waste is increasing among consumers bringing more attention to this area. More individuals and organizations are promoting responsible e-waste disposal and recycling practices.
“Many factors are contributing to the growth of e-waste and rapid technological advancements is one of the largest factors. The consumer electronics industry continually releases new and updated products with enhanced features and capabilities,” Bilbruck said. “This drives consumers to replace their existing devices more frequently, leading to increased e-waste. Shorter product lifespans and life cycles of these products means that electronics are designed with shorter lifespans due to rapid technological obsolescence and built-in obsolescence, encouraging consumers to upgrade to newer models sooner.”
Ferguson said the U.S. government’s stricter stance on exporting e-waste to third-world countries signifies a commitment to a new level of sustainable e-waste management practices domestically.
“E-waste recycling laws vary by state with around 25 states having laws related to recycling. Some legislation focuses on older/larger electronics; however, we must also address smaller technology such as phones, tablets and laptops,” Ferguson said.
At The Junkluggers, they partner with municipalities, local businesses, and local charities to collect e-waste for free so it can be discarded properly and kept out of landfills.
“We are starting to see designated e-waste drop off sections at some landfills,” Ferguson said. “Overall, it is important to educate consumers about e-waste by reinforcing what it is, what should be recycled and how to do it.”
Heather Walch, chief executive officer of Repowered, one of the largest collectors of e-waste in Minnesota, said in that state, a recent study showed that an estimated 266 million pounds of electronic waste could be recycled, but only about 24 percent actually make it to a recycler. Companies and individuals are either stockpiling in storage closets and basements or, putting these items in the trash.
“The pandemic had a significant impact on the e-waste sector: increase in remote work (and now long-term hybrid work environments), permanent closure of some offices, 1:1 strategies of iPads and Chromebooks in schools, and so on,” Walch said. “These changes occurred in schools and businesses and even in homes, where each person now has multiple devices.”
E-waste recycling has always been a low-margin business model, but Walch said the model has felt increasingly difficult this past year as the value of refurbished laptops plummeted.
“At the same time that the economics of this work are immensely challenging, we see increased usage of lithium batteries in small gadgets, which can cause ‘thermal events’ in recycling facilities,” Walch said. “Consumers also expect to be able to recycle for free, despite it being very expensive to responsibly recycle electronics and guarantee data security.”
Innovative Approaches To E-Waste
Bilbruck said lifecycle management of these products and devices will be the norm as companies and manufacturers are put in a more responsible role of what happens with these products through new regulations and laws.
“Also there is a push to reclaim rare earth materials that are used in building many of these devices because of the global scarcity of these materials and the high demand they have in today’s market,” Bilbruck said.
“In my opinion it is a huge opportunity for us to recycle and reuse these materials here in the U.S.,” Bilbruck said. “This could result in new and innovative business models that keep the recycling and manufacturing of these devices on U.S. soil and thus help forge a whole new industry for the U.S. marketplace. It also puts more control in our hands for the supply chain of these devices and the materials that are used in the manufacturing of these devices. Chain of custody and lifecycle management is a huge opportunity for companies and recyclers.”
Initially the e-waste challenge was focused on keeping toxins out of landfills and that remains critical. However, as Ferguson said, today the precious metals required to create electronic devices are also being depleted.
“It is imperative that we properly recycle e-waste so we can reuse the materials and keep them out of landfills,” Ferguson said. “The recycling industry will play a key role in helping us do this successfully. There is a great opportunity for the recycling industry to educate manufacturers, businesses, and consumers on how to dispose of electronics properly and to get everyone involved. Players in the industry will need to continue to come up with creative solutions to make e-waste recycling easier.”
At the collection point, Repowered is focused on processes to make recycling easier and more convenient.
“We believe the opportunity for innovation is greater downstream – there is still a lot of work to get metals ready for manufacturers, which is ripe for disruption and innovation,” Walch said.
E-waste tracking has improved in recent years, Savage said there is still room for expansion. Currently, 25 states and the District of Columbia have enacted statewide “takeback” e-waste laws.
“Some of these laws are focused on producer ‘take-back’ programs to release local governments and taxpayers of the financial burden of managing toxic e-waste,” Savage said. “The EPA has an online tracking system called the National Environmental Information Exchange Network that monitors e-waste movement across participating states. More manufacturers and recyclers are also adopting blockchain and RFID tags to better track devices end-to-end. However, in states without comprehensive laws, significant e-waste still escapes proper tracking and monitoring.”
Emerging technologies like AI-based sorting systems, advanced robotics, and green chemistry solutions are beginning to improve e-waste recycling efficiency. But Savage said technology alone cannot address the root drivers.
“Designing devices for repair, refurbishment, and material recovery is critical to slowing resource consumption,” Savage said. “Producer take-back programs could alleviate cost and logistic barriers to recycling. Additional frameworks for voluntary and legislated options warrant consideration.”
Ownership Shift
Looking ahead, Bilbruck said e-waste recycling will be a managed service that is bundled from the manufacturer at the creation of the product in the future. It will be priced into the total price when you buy the product and third parties, like Captjur, will conduct these programs for large manufacturers. Manufacturers must make sure these products are being recycled properly and that we are reclaiming as much of the materials as possible. In addition, there will be total tracking of these devices within these programs.
“With AI technology-enabled platforms to do this and block chain (chain of command) technology, we will know where every device is and the life cycle point where it stands,” Bilbruck said. “This holds great upside revenue potential not only for manufacturers, but for a new waste management and recycling vertical for waste management companies.”
Fundamentally, Savage stressed that addressing America’s e-waste challenge requires transitioning to a circular economic model. She said this entails reducing consumption, designing for recyclability, extending product lifecycles, improving collection infrastructure, adopting smarter recycling technologies, and stronger oversight and tracking.
“Collaborative efforts between domestic and foreign policymakers, manufacturers, recyclers, and consumers are essential to bring about this systemic shift,” Savage said. “With electronics waste one of the world’s fastest growing and most toxic waste streams, the environmental stakes could not be higher.”