3S International partners with other electronics recyclers

Mount Pleasant, Michigan-based 3S International, a national electronics and lamp processor, has formed strategic partnerships with a number of regional and national recycling companies including IMS Electronics, San Diego; Kuusakoski Recycling, Plainfield, Illinois; and Valley City Electronic Recycling, Kentwood, Michigan. 

 

3S says the partnerships are a part of its strategic growth plan. By partnering with recyclers with different capabilities, 3S says it will be able to share resources and expand its service region while providing its partners a downstream solution for LCD screens and mercury-containing devices.

 

Gina Yob, vice president of sales and marketing for 3S International, says, “The idea is to partner with like-minded recyclers to share our strengths and benefit our companies and communities. We will only partner with companies that adhere to strict environmental standards. 

 

“While each recycler brings their own specialized recycling methods and niche skills to the table, our strength is in providing the best downstream solution to process LCDs and mercury-containing devices on a large scale,” Yob continues. “We don’t want to compete with other recyclers; we want to work together. My hope for this collaboration is to keep as much mercury out of the environment and away from communities as possible.”

 

3S International uses Swiss-designed Blubox technology to process LCD screens and mercury-containing devices. 3S has the exclusive North American rights to the Blubox technology, which it says can process 15 million pounds of material annually.

 

In the first month of the partnership, 3S International says it brought in more than 1 million pounds of end-of-life electronics, adding that the volumes continue to rise. 

 

Collected electronics are sorted and the materials are shipped to the company that can best recycle them. 

 

IMS Electronics, a CP Global company, says it has long placed a focus on risk reduction through HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) and environmental compliance, earning numerous certifications, including ISO 9001, ISO 14001, OHSAS 18001 and R2 (Responsible Recycling Practices). The company offers electronics recycling services in California, Washington, Ohio and Georgia. 

 

Linda McFarland, IMS vice president of sales and marketing for the eastern region, says the company’s partnership with 3S will be good for business.

 

“3S has the only true process for the safe disposal of mercury and LCDs, which are set to be the next big item to recycle, following cathode ray tubes (CRTs),” McFarland says. “This partnership allows us to provide the best downstream for our clients’ LCD and mercury-containing devices. There is a huge benefit to electronics recyclers to open doors for each other. We all specialize in different categories of recycling, and we can do so much more together to combat the e-waste crisis.” 

 

Valley City works with municipalities to collect and manually disassemble end-of-life residential electronics. The company provides secure data destruction, media shredding, asset information recording and remarketing services to help recapture value from retired assets. But LCD screens cause a problem because they are fragile and dangerous to dismantle, Valley City’s Dave Perry says. 

 

“Partnerships like this allow both companies to focus on what they do best and work together to provide solutions,” he says. 

 

“At Valley City, our role is to collect the material, provide asset management services and supply 3S International with LCDs to process safely,” Perry says. “Through this partnership, we have become part of the solution throughout the region.”