E-waste or e-scrap is the trash generated by obsolete, broken, and surplus electronic devices. To e-recycle electronics, you can donate working gadgets, return them to the manufacture, or sell them to region-specific recycling centers. Since the early 1990s, e-waste recycling has generated thousands of business ventures and job opportunities.
How E-recycle Creates Job Opportunities?
Electronics recycling is the method of recovering parts of old appliances and devices. These parts are then used to manufacture new products.
In the e-recycling sector, there are various types of businesses. According to the Institute of Scrap Recycling (ISRI), some businesses under the e-recycling industry can generate approximately $50 million annual sales.
It is a lucrative business, yet it requires minimal investment. If you compare solid waste management with e-recycling, the latter is more labor-intensive than the former since solid waste management is a highly mechanized process.
With just a dozen of workers, you can start an electronic waste recycling business. It only involves sorting, collecting, and processing activities, as well as logistics, sales, and facilities operations.
This business does not require large machinery and expensive equipment. It is indeed an integrated process, but its steps are simple. It primarily involves the following operations.
1) Collection from offices, households, drop-off points, and demolition and construction centers;
2) The sorting process, which involves the separation of various materials and quality goods;
3) Reselling of reusable materials.
For e-waste recycling, collected items, such as glass, metal, and plastic, pass through a rigorous process. This is done in order to make old parts usable as raw materials for electronics production.
From the collection to the reselling of old or obsolete materials, e-recycling businesses require different semi-skilled and skilled employees. This creates job opportunities for both local and foreign applicants.
Business Opportunities in the E-recycling Industry:
Collection Depots. The physical flow or the physical movement of e-scrap begins with authorized collection depots. For example, a company that flourishes in buying and reselling old electronics parts may contract over 100 sites in a state or region.
In demolition and garbage collection sites, appliances are palletized according to their type. For example, televisions and computers are segregated from other electronics products. They are placed, stacked, and transported on pallets.
People above the age of eighteen with at least a high school diploma can apply in collection depots. As long as they are disciplined and industrious, they will find working in such sites fulfilling and sustainable.
Primary E-Recycling. Most e-waste recycling sites need over 80 employees. Dozens of people are needed in removing scrap from pallets and de-manufacturing. De-manufacturing is a process of recycling that involves the disassembly and dismantling of an item in order to maximize the number of recyclable materials.
Operators are also needed to man equipment at work stations. They also sort material into appropriate pallet bins. Categories may include glass, plastic, steel, and circuit boards.
At Intercon Solutions, an e-recycler based in Illinois, 100% of incoming scrap recovered. No parts of electronics are sent to a landfill.
The Takeaway is:
The e-recycling industry provides many jobs and business opportunities. Unlike solid waste management, e-recycle business operations do not need large equipment. Therefore, this type of business requires low investment. Workers can replace the functions of high-maintenance machinery.
Copper, gold, and silver can be found in old and obsolete electronic parts. They are valuable metals needed in manufacturing new products. They could also fetch hefty prices when sold in bulk.
This industry generates millions of dollars annually and has been a source of income of thousands of people. If you plan to start a small e-recycle business, you will see how lucrative it is.
