IAER Releases Electronics Recycling Report

This is not just another publication on electronics recycling. It supercedes and expands on all previously published reports and directories on electronics recycling. The IAER Electronics Recycling Industry Report will be an essential resource for anyone involved or interested in electronics recycling.

The IAER has just completed an industry survey, and the results are included in the Industry Study section of the report in addition to comprehensive industry research on electronics recycling in the U.S. The report also contains other sections with a wide range of information about the electronics recycling industry and the IAER – including an Industry Directory and a Guide to Services & Programs in Electronics Recycling.

Electronics recycling is an emerging industry that is at a critical point in its development in terms of growth and challenges. As the production and use of electronics products continues to increase dramatically throughout the business and public sectors, the challenges of disposal and recovery of materials are becoming significant. Until recently, the major sources of electronics products for recycling have been manufacturers and large users. Although consumers also own vast quantities of electronics products, many have been disposed of in landfills or left unused in storage. The disposal of end-of-life electronics products has become a topic of interest and concern worldwide as municipalities face the potential of enormous volumes to handle in the future.

Report highlights include:

• The electronics recycling industry in the USA is comprised of more than 400 companies with estimated total annual revenues of over $700 million and more than 7000 employees. The industry processes more than 1.5 billion pounds of electronic equipment annually comprised of more than 40 million units of computer equipment. The electronics recycling process yielded approximately 900 million pounds of recyclable materials.
• Based on the projected growth and obsolescence rates of the various categories of consumer electronics it is estimated that approximately 3 billion units will be scrapped during the rest of this decade, or an average of about 400 million units yearly. Included in the total during that period are approximately 200 million TVs. When considering the usage and trends from all sectors, it is estimated that about 1 billion units of computer equipment will become potential scrap between now and 2010.
• Collectively, the enormous volumes of end-of-life electronics from all sectors will drive the electronics recycling industry to grow its capacity by a factor of four or five by the end of this decade.

These are all significantly larger quantities than had been forecasted in the past.

The report findings will be announced at the upcoming ISEE/SUMMIT event in Boston May 19-22.

Those interesting in more information or in obtaining a copy of the report should contact the IAER at (888) 989-IAER or at info@IAER.org. Additional information is also available at the IAER Web site, www.IAER.org.