According to a consent order filed by the California Department of Toxic Substances Control, e-Recycling of California was assessed the fine after improperly storing CRT glass in containers deemed not appropriate  to contain the material. Crushed CRT glass was found leaking out of the containers during inspections, DTSC officials said.

“Respondent failed to manage all residuals produced from treating electronic devices, residual printed circuit boards, and/or CRTs, in a manner that prevents a release to the environment of any universal waste or any component thereof, “ according to the document.

Specifically, the company didn’t tie the openings of CRT glass treatment dust bags, set up an  appropriate container system to capture the CRT/CRT glass treatment dust under the Pulse-Jet Filter Cleaning Vacuums and did not separate floor sweepings containing CRT glass from regular solid waste.

To see the consent order, click here: http://www.dtsc.ca.gov/HazardousWaste/Projects/upload/eRecycling_Irvine_CO_081911.pdf

The fact sheets are downloadable and printable PDF files, located at www.isri.org/factsheets.

“The scrap recycling industry is not only growing in size, but is continuing to play a more and more important role in job creation, helping level the U.S. trade balance, and strengthening the economy as a whole,” said ISRI President Robin Wiener.  “Despite this, many misconceptions about the industry continue to linger. ISRI is a clearinghouse of information about our industry, our members and how what they do is having a positive impact in local communities and around the world.”

In the U.S., the trade industry reported, the electronics recycling industry has grown from less than $1 billion in 2002 to more than $5 billion annually. The industry now employs more than 30,000 full time employees, up from 6,000 in 2002.

Last year, the U.S. electronics recycling industry processed 3 million to 4 million tons of used and end-of-life electronics equipment. More than 70 percent of the collected equipment is manufactured into specification grade commodities — including steel, aluminum, copper, lead, circuit boards, plastics and glass. Commodities are then sold around the U.S. and the world.

Equipment collected from businesses and commercial interested comprises up to 75% of the market, ISRI said, and the U.S. industry has plenty of room to grow – the trade organization estimates U.S. recyclers are currently operating at about 50% of their operational capabilities.

For more on the fact sheets, visit www.isri.org/factsheet

s.

8.5 million.

That’s the number of iPad sales some analysts expect Apple to report selling during the third quarter 2011 next week during conference calls reporting quarterly financial results.  That’s not results for the entire year – that’s just the third quarter. While Apple is one of the larger players in the newly developing tablet market, they are by no means the only brand out there.

Take into consideration all of the other products on the market  - HP’s new TouchPad, Toshiba’s Thrive, the Samsung Galaxy Tab, high-end and entry-level products from Asus, products from Research in Motion, HTC, Dell, ACER and other manufacturers. All of these tablets – and the world’s insatiable appetite for the gadgets –  are creating an ever-growing addition to the e-waste stream, already the fastest growing segment of the world’s waste.

Already the tablets have been appearing in the recycling stream – Sims Recycling Solutions reported its first unit in its recycling stream appeared in October 2010, five months after the device was introduced . As these devices age and are replaced, more will work their way through to the recycling infrastructure.

It’s a device that seemingly arose out of nowhere and burst onto the consumer stage as the must-have gadget overnight. With such a meteoric rise, it’s important to make sure tablets are included into recycling programs at the end of life.

In many jurisdictions with e-recycling laws, tablet computers were added into the same category as laptops or with other video display devices. Other areas, including more than two dozen U.S. states, don’t have laws governing the disposal of the televisions, computers, monitors, laptops or tablets – into the landfill with all of it.

Even at the end of life, these tablets and devices are too valuable from recycling standpoint to landfill and lose forever. Hopefully policy comes into place to capture these valuable devices before they’re thrown into the trash.

A shredder at e-Scrap Destruction in Islandia, N.Y.; photo from Greenlanches.com http://www.greenlaunches.com/other-stuff/escrap-recycles-ewaste-to-reduce-the-burden-on-landfills.php

photo credit : from Greenlanches.com and Sims Recycling Solutions

WILLIAM ING/Tribune-Herald Trying to make "no dumping" signage visible once again, Bay Side Computer Shop employee John Frost climbs Thursday atop a mound of e-waste cluttering the front entrance of the Kukuau Street business. He says he's made an effort to put out anti-dumping signs, but people keep concealing the warnings with their castoff electronics.

Bay Side Computer Shop, in Hilo, had a contract with the state of Hawaii to collect and recycle e-waste. However, after the contract expired nearly a year ago Big Island residents continued to drop e-waste at the site. With no space left to accept additional e-waste and no money to ship the massive stockpile to the mainland for recycling, the shop was forced to close. Still, residents continued to dump scrap computers and televisions at the site.

After reading an article about Bay Side Computer Shop’s dilemma in the Hawaii Tribune-Herald last May, E-World Online organized its manufacturing partners, Sony Electronics Inc., Acer America Corp., ViewSonic, NEC and LG, to fund the collection, shipping and recycling of the abandoned 180,000 pounds of e-waste dumped at the former collection site.

E-World Online and its manufacturing partners purchased the electronics surplus from Bay Side and paid the per-container cost to ship it from Hawaii to Vista, Calif. Additionally, E-World Online processed the material at its parent facility, E-World Recyclers.

“We purchased all of the e-waste on the site, and we also paid the cost of shipping to the mainland,” said E-World Online President Cindy Erie. “The state is in the middle of a change in how e-waste collection and recycling is handled, and E-World and our manufacturing partners wanted to help smooth the transition by ensuring this e-waste did not fall between the cracks. Plus, we wanted to help out a small business. Bay Side Computer Shop was in a tough position.”

“The Department of Health is pleased that E-World Online stepped up to take this e-waste from the Big Island. We are hopeful that other recyclers and manufacturers will follow E-world Online’s lead and provide collection services on the neighbor islands,” Steven Chang, Solid and Hazardous Waste Branch Chief, said in a statement to E-World Online.

E-World Online administers the electronics recycling programs of several manufacturers across the U.S. Its proprietary, web-based Manufacturer Interstate Take-Back System (MITS) uses a network of collection points and recyclers across the country to make e-waste recycling easy for consumers while fulfilling the manufacturers’ responsibilities.

New Hawaiian state laws require manufacturers of electronic equipment collect a certain amount of e-waste per year but provide multiple and convenient ways for consumers to recycle unwanted or non-working electronics. To date, 49 Hawaii-based recyclers have agreed to process e-waste under the legislation, but nearly all accept e-waste only on Oahu, requiring Big Islanders to pay shipping expenses.

For more information on MITS and E-World Online, visit www.e-worldonline.com or call (877) 342-6756.

“The unanimous passage of the bill signals that the Maine Legislature is committed to protecting our environment while also creating jobs,” Innes said. “Product stewardship initiatives, like the bottle bill, create jobs by turning today’s trash into tomorrow’s products, and save taxpayers money by privatizing the waste stream to benefit society.”

The expansion of the product stewardship law will save money for Maine businesses, non-profits and schools and will reduce toxic ewaste going into Maine’s incinerators and landfills. In addition, an estimated 16-18 new jobs will be created at an electronics recycling facility in Auburn, Innes said.

“This program marries the needs of small businesses and schools, and organizations that operate under tight financial conditions, with protecting Maine’s most important resource, its environment,” said Rick Dumas, Chief Executive Officer of eWaste Recycling Solutions, a company that provides safe and environmentally sound disassembly, consolidation and transportation services for recycling and disposal of electronic devices such as computer and television monitors as well as many other products categorized as e-waste under local, state and federal law. Centrally located in Auburn, eWaste Recycling Solutions have the only Maine based de-manufacturing facility of companies approved by the Department of Environmental Protection.

“It is a clear demonstration of the business and environmental communities, government, regulators and educators coming together for the good of our state, and the immediate result is that eWaste Recycling Solutions will create 16-18 “green-collar” jobs. LD 981 is a win-win for every party that has been involved with the process,” said Dumas.

“This legislation is a victory for Maine’s economy and our environment,” said Matt Prindiville, Clean Production Project Director for the Natural Resources Council of Maine. “Not only will this bill grow jobs and reduce costs for small businesses, it will also keep millions of pounds of toxic materials out of Maine’s environment by recycling more electronics into new products.”

“Since 2004, this manufacturer financed program has recycled over 30 million pounds of electronics, 30 million pounds that most likely would have ended up in our landfills or burned in our energy plants, spewing toxic fumes into our air,” said Rep. Innes. “Not only will this bill help protect our environment, but it will create much needed jobs as well.”

Patricia Aho, Deputy Commissioner of DEP said, “We were pleased to be able to work collaboratively and cooperatively to facilitate opportunities for small businesses here in Maine.”

For more on e-waste management in Maine, visit http://www.maine.gov/dep/rwm/ewaste/

An advertisement used to promote Maine's electronics recycling law.

Collectors and recyclers of obsolete electronics have until January  1st to enroll with the state’s E-Waste Program created by a law passed by the General Assembly this year.

The new law specifies that only collectors and recyclers enrolled in the program can work with electronics manufacturers who will soon be responsible for collecting and recycling the devices they sell in the state of Indiana.

Makers of computer monitors, laptops, and televisions must register with the state by April 1, 2010. If they fail to do so they won’t be allowed to sell their products in Indiana. This is a similar scenario with the controversial scenario in the state of New York, which is currently in litigation between the state and several electronic manufacturer trade groups.

Growing competition for market share could put Samsung under pressure to lower prices in the high-margin touchscreen phones, with iPhone‘s debut in the domestic market last week set to challenge Samsung and home-town rival LG Electronics.

“Touch phones taking a bigger portion of handset sales will not likely have a significant impact on profitability because makers eventually have to cut prices to appeal to the wider public,” said Hanwha Securities analyst Seo Do-won.

“What we have to set sight on is the smartphone market, in which Samsung is still weaker than Apple, RIM and Nokia (NOK1V.HE). Samsung has strengths in high-function and hardware sides, but is weak in software and services compared with rivals,” Seo said.

Samsung, which trails Finland’s Nokia, said on Monday it was on track to exceed its 2009 mobile phone sales target, with touchscreen models enjoying sharp growth.

It had previously said it aimed to sell more than 200 million phones this year, after selling slightly less than that figure in 2008.

The blockbuster iPhone of Apple made its debut in South Korea recently after local regulators cleared the final hurdle for its sales in a market that is home to 47 million mobile phone users.

With established strength in premium and feature phones, Samsung and LG have recently boosted their smartphone line-ups to compete with Apple and Blackberry maker Research In Motion 

Samsung said its global market share in handsets rose over 20 percent for the first time in the third quarter, with its telecom unit posting a profit margin of 10 percent in the third quarter, unchanged from the second quarter.

Research firm Gartner said this month global mobile phone salesthis year would be roughly on par with 2008 and grow 5-8 percent next year.

Samsung said in a statement handsets adopting full touchscreens would account for about 20 percent of its mobile phone sales this year. In 2008, such phones made up only 5 percent of Samsung’s total sales.

Samsung had sold around 40 million full touchscreen devices between January and November this year, compared with 10 million in 2008.

Feature-packed premium phones and smartphones with intuitive user interfaces have prompted a boom in touchscreen models that allow users to manipulate cellphones more easily.

“Samsung will continue to expand the global full touch phone market by introducing phones tailored to individual regions and user requirement with stylish designs, intuitive UIs and cutting edge features,” JK Shin, head of Samsung Electronics’ Mobile Communications Division, said in the statement.

Samsung Mobile Display, Samsung Electronics’ mobile screen venture, expects touchscreens to be adopted by about 50 percent of major portable devices — mobile phones, digital cameras, navigations and digital media players – sold in 2013.

By afternoon, shares of Samsung, also the world’s largest maker of memory chips and flat screen televisions, were up 2.3 percent, in line with the broader market’s 2.5 percent gain.

ISuppli said promotional prices are 22 percent lower than before Black Friday, the traditional start of the holiday shopping season. ISuppli estimates 6 percent more TV sets will be sold during a seven-day period that began on Black Friday compared with the same period last year.

The average advertised Black Friday price for a 32-inch set was $369, down from $490 before Thanksgiving.

Prices for larger sets were down more modestly, about 7 percent. Manufacturers instead packed better features into the models that went on sale, such as faster refresh rates for a steadier picture, iSuppli said.

Big brands like Samsung Electronics Co., LG Electronics Inc. and Sony Corp. offered the biggest discounts because they have had the highest regular prices, according to iSuppli analyst Tina Tseng.

ISuppli’s analysis excludes plasma TVs, another type of flat panel that’s less popular than LCD-based units.

A power outage at a Corning Inc. factory in Taiwan didn’t cause a shortage of glass for TVs as initially feared, iSuppli noted. The outage occurred in October, after manufacturers had already bought components for the sets that went on sale on Black Friday.

Paragon Green is a joint venture formed by McFarland, founder and owner of CCR, and Tom Drake, founder and CEO of 5R. Between CCR and 5R, the companies recycle an estimated 20 million pounds per year, and Paragon Green projects that it will collect and recycle more than 50 million pounds of materials in 2010.

McFarland is a visionary entrepreneur in IT asset recovery and the electronics recycling industry. She is known for being creatively passionate about diverting e-waste from curbside disposal by working to responsibly convert recoverable electronic equipment into re-marketable used products or component parts. Any equipment Paragon Green collects that does not have a resale value in the used market is safely dismantled and converted into commodities for reclaimed metals, plastic and other recyclable materials.

“With the global economic recession, IT departments are focusing on cost reduction as a leading priority in their budget planning,” McFarland said. “Reclaiming, refurbishing and remarketing IT equipment is an innovative and environmentally proactive approach for companies to offset IT budgets by converting used assets to cash.”

Paragon Green’s asset recycling program is a full circle, end-to-end market managed recycling solution that supports a zero e-waste environmental agenda.

“Paragon Green accepts all e-waste from the commercial markets, including what others consider non-value electronics, including monitors and televisions,” McFarland said. “We also do not ship unprocessed, hazardous e-scrap, such as lead-based glass found in monitors and televisions to other countries. Instead, our lead-based glass de-manufacturing solution, called glass-to-glass processing, is the only true, environmentally sound recycling process.”

In addition to e-waste, Paragon Green is a waste recycling resource for a broad range of goods including fluorescent lights, cardboard, plastic, rubber, and hazardous materials such as lead acid batteries. Paragon Green also takes an active role with schools and community governments by participating in collection events and pilot programs that encourage the community to recycle.

Paragon Green serves medium-sized companies and large corporations within the healthcare, education, government, hospitality, solid waste, e-waste and asset recovery industries, as well as school districts, government entities and solid waste agencies. It operates four plants with nine locations in six states, totaling 300,000 square feet of space, located in Michigan, Illinois, Georgia, Wisconsin and Tennessee.

Winners in the state’s Waste Reduction Awards Program ranged from tech giants Hewlett-Packard Co, Intel Corp and NEC Electronics America Inc. Hewlett-Packard’s Roseville campus  now diverts 91 percent of its waste material, from recycling cardboard and paper products to reusing bubble wrap. NEC’s manufacturing plant, also in Roseville, last year diverted 82 percent of its solid waste, raising $430,625 in recycling revenue for the company.

Driven by aggressive state mandates, recycling has become a major industry in California. The sector employs 85,000 and produces $10 billion in goods and services annually, according to the waste board.

To make the list of recycling honorees, a company must demonstrate an annual improvement in its waste-reduction practices, according to Beatriz Sandoval, a spokeswoman for the Integrated Waste Management Board.

The agency has been publishing the list since 1993. Because of the breadth of industries represented, there are no set standards for qualifying, Sandoval said. Nearly every company submitting documentation to the agency wins an award.