The pandemic may take a heavy toll on electronics scrap supply but there’s light at the end of the tunnel with worldwide volumes picking up again, experts agreed during an online discussion hosted by the BIR world recycling organisation.
The lockdown has had huge impact on supply within the US, said Josephita Harry of Miami-based Pan American Zinc. But she also argued that substantial volumes of e-scrap were likely to come forward in the near future as a result of the increased reliance on electronics for educational purposes and also for working from home. ‘A lot of devices used during the crisis need to be replaced or repaired sooner or later. There’s going to be a lot of older devices coming out of the market in the coming months,’ she insisted.
