It is common knowledge that e-waste can be recycled. It’s not as well known that only a handful of recyclers physically refine electronics into quality, reusable commodities in the United States. ECS Refining is one of these companies, and has built its reputation as a pioneer in the end-of-life electronics recycling industry. None of our e-waste is shipped overseas or dumped in landfills.

Utilizing state-of-the-art equipment and cutting-edge technology, ECS Refining’s electronics recycling process is unparalleled in scale and the quality of its performance. Yielding only reusable commodities, ECS Refining is able to process 25 million pounds of end-of-life electronics per month and is expanding operations to nearly double that figure within the next year.

Shredding

GIGO: At ECS Refining, we understand that the principle of “garbage in, garbage out” is vital to recycling end-of-life electronics. If the quality of the material stream fed into our recycling line is poor, then the quality of our outputs will be poor as well. This means that starting with “homogenous” lots of e-waste is necessary to effectively refine electronics into quality commodities.

Pre-picking: Our end-of-life electronics recycling process begins with a conveyor line in which items that should not be shredded, such as batteries, UPS battery systems, toner cartridges, and fluorescent lights, are removed by hand before they enter the main shredder.

Shredding: After e-waste has been pre-picked, it flows into the shredding line to be sized down for commodity separation. The main shredder breaks material down into 4” x 10” fragments and the final shredder reduces it further into poker chip-sized fragments that are optimal for the separation processes.

Separation

Effective and efficient commodity separation is a key component of end-of-life e-waste recycling that largely determines the value that can be recovered. ECS Refining boasts a state-of-the-art separation process that is unparalleled in the industry.

After e-waste has been shredded into optimally-sized fragments, it enters the separation lines where it is segregated into various commodity types using sophisticated technologies including eddy currents, optical identification, and magnetic separation. The first separation stage divides material into plastics and metals, and the second stage further separates the metal stream into different varieties.

Outputs

In order to recover the maximum value from electronic waste, it must be processed properly. ECS Refining’s state-of-the-art recycling process ensures that the electronics are refined into clean, high-quality commodities.

The most common commodities that can be recovered from e-waste are varying grades and types of plastic, aluminum, steel, pc board, and CRT glass. After shredding and separating electronic waste, ECS Refining gives these commodities new life by selling and distributing them to manufacturers and producers around the world.

Please contact us to learn more about our end-of-life e-waste recycling process. ECS Refining also offers IT Asset Management and IT Asset Recovery/Resale solutions for working electronic devices.