New Pilot Study Suggests Huge Potential for E-Waste Recycling

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): The new pilot study jointly conducted by Phadke, the Iron Range Partnership for Sustainability and leading e-waste recycler, Repowered has demonstrated huge potentials for e-waste recycling in the state of Minnesota. The pilot study is based in part on data from Repowered’s Saint Paul facility.

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According to the study, a more concentrated effort by the state to recycle the valuable metals contained in discarded electronic waste could lead to creation of around 1,738 jobs and contribute approximately $2.8 billion in revenues every year. Such efforts will transform Minnesota a pioneer in turning e-waste into huge economic benefits.

The pilot study aims to calculate the volume of e-waste in Minnesota. It also makes an attempt to study the possibilities of harvesting valuable precious metals from e-waste stream. It found that proper capturing of all the 266 million pounds of annual e-waste generated in Minnesota for recycling or refurbishment would generate nearly 78 million pounds of valuable metals. The recovered copper would be enough for 155,000 electric vehicles. Also, the silver thus recovered will be sufficient to produce 441,000 solar panels.

As per recent estimates, Minnesota currently collects only 23.7% of its total e-waste for recycling.