Sunday, November 02, 2003
Where does all thisrecycled "Stuff" end up?
Ever wonder what the 'ultimate destination' of your recycled items is? As I've mentioned various times, there are only a handful of actual refiners/processors of many types of scrap, especially platinum containing products such as catalytic converters. And there is consolidation going on all the time. This article will give you a good idea as where most catalytic converters have been going and why the vast majority will not even be refined in North America.
Note also the plans for EOL (end of life) programs for electronics scrap and how this company is laying out a strategy to capitalize on this particular market.
Is this good or bad? My opinion: anything which lends more stability to the recycling markets and helps combat the growing problem of EOL electronics will ultimately filter down to the individual recycler level in a manner which will encourage efficiency. Profiting from e-scrap is already a tenuous process at best unless you have a particularly strong niche and know precisely what you're doing. This doesn't mean there aren't opportunities out there. It simply means that you'll need to be that much selective in what you choose to deal in. I predict cell phones are going to continue to be a growth electronics recycling niche for numerous reasons, even though we'll see major price fluctuations in scrap phone values.
Due to the large percentage of toxic and dangerous electronics scrap materials being disposed of irresponsibly, I'd just as soon see them handled by an offshore company which will not just indiscriminately dump the toxic portions on their unsuspecting populations, such as is happening in Mexico and various Asian countries.
Viking to plunder recycling market
Note also the plans for EOL (end of life) programs for electronics scrap and how this company is laying out a strategy to capitalize on this particular market.
Is this good or bad? My opinion: anything which lends more stability to the recycling markets and helps combat the growing problem of EOL electronics will ultimately filter down to the individual recycler level in a manner which will encourage efficiency. Profiting from e-scrap is already a tenuous process at best unless you have a particularly strong niche and know precisely what you're doing. This doesn't mean there aren't opportunities out there. It simply means that you'll need to be that much selective in what you choose to deal in. I predict cell phones are going to continue to be a growth electronics recycling niche for numerous reasons, even though we'll see major price fluctuations in scrap phone values.
Due to the large percentage of toxic and dangerous electronics scrap materials being disposed of irresponsibly, I'd just as soon see them handled by an offshore company which will not just indiscriminately dump the toxic portions on their unsuspecting populations, such as is happening in Mexico and various Asian countries.
Viking to plunder recycling market
