E-Waste Recycling Industry Badly Impacted by Changing Electronic Scrap Flows

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): The expert panelists at the ISRI 2020 Fall Commodity Spotlight webinar held on 14^th September discussed the impacts of changing flows of electronic scrap and the new work-from-home culture due to the pandemic on global electronics recycling industry.

The participants noted that the pandemic had a major impact on the electronics industry over the past six months. In addition, it is tough at this point of time to foresee how long the impacts would last, they said.

Walter Alcorn, vice president of environmental affairs at Consumer Technology Association noted that the pandemic has badly impacted the supply chains. The industry is currently facing challenges to meet demand. Incidentally, several states have shut down collection for several months now, which has made returning of unwanted materials even more challenging than before.

RELATED NEWS:

Electronics Recycling Events Back with a Bang

Electronic Waste Recycling Takes Off in Rural Michigan

Alcorn said that it is too early to predict when supply chains are likely to return to more normal levels. The industry will have to continue to adapt for a little longer time. A large number of electronic component manufacturers and supplier who operated in the U.S during the pre-Covid-19 era have stopped operations during the pandemic period. A good majority of them are unlikely to restart operations, he added.