ERI’s John Shegerian Calls the Recycling of Electronics “the Most Urgently Needed Environmental Solution of Our Generation”
April 24 2024 - 1:08PM
Business Wire
Shegerian Points to UN’s Assessments in Latest 2024 Global
E-Waste Monitor Report and PIRG Article’s Six Highlights to Help
‘Wake the Nation to Action’
Citing a recent article by Lucas Gutterman, Director of PIRG’s
Designed to Last Campaign, John Shegerian, co-founder, Chairman and
CEO of ERI, the nation’s leading fully integrated IT and
electronics asset disposition provider and cybersecurity-focused
hardware destruction company, calls the responsible recycling of
electronics as the key to solving many of the planet’s most
pressing environmental crises.
The article, which in turn underscores the United Nations’
latest data on global e-waste, which is now growing more than five
times faster than it is being recycled, shines a light on six
surprising and little-known facts included in the UN’s 2024 Global
E-Waste Monitor.
“E-waste continues to be the fastest growing waste stream in the
world today,” said Shegerian. “The good news is that by engaging on
the circular economy, there is a relatively simple and sustainable
solution right in the palm of everyone’s hands. With
consumer-friendly processes, innovation and leading recycling
search tools such as RecycleNation, it’s easy for any government
agency, retailer, manufacturer, consumer or business to actively
become part of the solution.”
Shegerian points to Gutterman’s article and it’s six revelations
as examples of “how much most people don’t know” about the devices
we use every day.”
The article includes in its list:
- Vape waste is a ‘major e-waste contributor’ and it’s getting
worse.
- One-third of global e-waste comes from small equipment and only
12% is recycled.
- Small IT equipment, mostly laptops and phones, produce 11
billion pounds of global e-waste.
- The average American disposes of 47 pounds of e-waste each year
(the second most e-waste of any country)
- Rare earth elements are critical for future green technologies
but less than 1% of our supplies come from recycling
- Manufacturing is growing five times faster than recycling.
“Clearly, there is much room for improvement,” added Shegerian.
“It is urgent that we educate everyone – from decision makers and
legislators to the next generation of consumers coming up – to
responsibly recycling all electronic devices if we are to preserve
our planet’s limited natural resources. We can all do better.”
ERI is the largest fully integrated IT and electronics asset
disposition provider and cybersecurity-focused hardware destruction
company in the United States. ERI is certified at the highest level
by all leading environmental and data security oversight
organizations to de-manufacture, recycle, and refurbish every type
of electronic device in an environmentally responsible manner. ERI
has the capacity to process more than a billion pounds of
electronic waste annually at its eight certified locations, serving
every zip code in the United States. ERI’s mission is to protect
people, the planet and privacy. For more information about e-waste
recycling and ERI, call 1-800-ERI-DIRECT or visit
https://eridirect.com.
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240424819481/en/
Paul Williams, 310/569-0023, paul.williams@eridirect.com