John Shegerian, Chairman and CEO of Electronic Recyclers International (ERI), the nation’s leading recycler of electronic waste, spoke today at the American Metal Market Events’ recycled Aluminum Conference at the Hyatt Regency in Chicago. Shegerian discussed the rapid evolution of the electronic recycling industry and shared insights regarding the promise of what he describes as “urban mining.”
As more and more producers who traditionally relied on primary metal as content have been turning to scrap metal inputs as a viable resource, AMM chose to arrange for this special event to pose the question: “What does this mean for traditional secondary producers and for supplier of scrap?” Today’s AMM Event brought together leading experts who provided the answers.
Shegerian was at the AMM Event as part of an outlook panel on scrap metal trends that also included representatives from Alcoa, Industrial Services of America and Metal Conversion.
Before a room of metals industry leaders and analysts, Shegerian discussed the promise of “urban mining,” a term he coined to describe the recovery of precious metals and other valuable materials from electronics products as opposed to mining of minerals from ores and other raw materials from the ground. Reusing and recycling discarded electronics helps the environment by saving energy, and keeping hazardous materials out of landfills.
“It’s clear that the booming electronic recycling industry will continue to have substantial impact in terms of fiscal growth and providing jobs to the fast growing green collar worker base,” said ERI’s CEO John Shegerian. “It’s also important that as recyclers of electronics, we do things the right way – sustainably, responsibly and in a facility that is accredited and certified to meet or exceed industry standards.”