(re) blog: dialogue with Redemtech

Low Value E-Waste Processing: Are U.S. Scrap Metal Smelters the Missing Link?

In 1977 - before cell phones, CDs and a then-bearish 15-17-cent-a-pound Lead (Pb) market - for a short time I worked overseeing a lead products warehouse. To my surprise, the warehouse consisted of more than 50 lead-base products. Back then, the range of products derived from recycled lead from our smelter next door amazed me. Lead came (the kind you find in Tiffany glass), as well as oil drilling bits, sheet lead, oxide, pigments, an assortment of solders, varieties of lead alloys and ship/boat anodes. One of the best features of the job was interacting with customers and truckers from all across the U.S.

Why It Makes Sense To Take the Professional Approach In Managing E-Waste

Not long ago, I was at the E-Scrap Conference, reading an email notice from the California Integrated Waste Management board. It led me to think about the program’s objectives. When I took part in the SB-20 stakeholder’s workshops, these were among the CIWMB’s leading objectives: landfill diversion and toxin avoidance, beginning e-waste recycling industry regulation and developing an enforcement mechanism to generate income.

A Letter to the EPA about Enforcement of Illegal Lead E-waste Exports

Last month, I told you about an e-waste enforcement case in California that opens the door at least slightly on the possibility that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will step up its enforcement of companies that send e-waste, disguised as scrap metal, to developing nations.   

The EPA and Illegal E-waste Export Enforcement

The pleasant news came as a mild surprise: the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) had decided to levy a maximum fine of $32,500 on a California company, Jet Ocean Technologies, for improperly exporting a shipment of discarded CRT displays to Hong Kong.

Why Everyone Needs to Walk the Talk

When it comes to e-waste, I frequently run into ironic situations. I had another one of those moments recently, as Redemtech played host to local material waste regulators.

If People Only Knew

In the field of air and water pollution control equipment, over the years I’ve assisted many companies in lowering emission rates and/or achieving compliance with air quality standards. As a consultant, I’ve had the opportunity to work with a variety of players in the metals processing industry, everything from lead, copper and aluminum smelters to facilities that deal with the remediation of lead and acid in batteries. Most of my experiences stem from the Southern California area, which has the country’s most stringent environmental regulations.

After 31 Years of Recycling, Earth Day is a Lifestyle

As Earth Day 2008 grew near, someone happened to ask me my thoughts about the annual holiday. I had to admit that since I’ve been working in the e-waste recycling industry for 31 years, it’s hard to get too excited about Earth Day any longer. For me and many others, every day is Earth Day.

Safety First – Even Outside Our Industry

One man stands with what appears to be an old seat cushion strapped to the top of his head, while another man welds steel while wearing a pair of cheap sunglasses and a piece of newspaper over his face. In another image, three hefty men stand on one end of a flimsy wooden plank while their coworker stands on the opposite end, which extends like a narrow bridge over a precipice so he can reach his work target.