By using electronic waste recycling management software, recyclers can further improve their operation efficiency throughout the whole recycling process.

By Bruce Jan

Rapid advances in technology and an expanding demand for new features have accelerated the development and sales of emerging new electronics devices across the world. As consumers switch to new devices at an unseen speed in human history, the generation of “old” electronic equipment (e-waste) is also accelerating.

Every day, hundreds of thousands of televisions, cellphones, computers, tablets, printers, copiers, etc. become obsolete. The result is a growing challenge for businesses, residents and local governments as they search for ways to reuse, recycle or properly dispose of this equipment. As the numbers of electronic waste grow, so are the numbers of electronic waste recyclers. In State of California alone, there are at least 500 businesses and organizations that accept and recycle electronics.

Interestingly, even though electronic waste recyclers deal with “retired technologies” daily, they often find themselves working in environments that lack technology. It is very common that an electronic waste recycler relies on hand written paperwork, Word, Excel and other basic programs to manage their daily operations, transactions, inventories and finance.

What is Electronic Waste Recycling Software and How Can it Help E-Waste Recyclers?

Electronic waste recycling management software is designed specifically for the e-waste recycling industry and provides the following features and functions:

  • Client/Source Management
  • Incoming Shipment and Outgoing Shipment Management
  • Logistics Scheduling for both Incoming Shipment and Outgoing Shipments
  • Inventory Receiving, Processing, Barcoding, Tracking, Dismantling, Asset Registrations, etc.
  • Client Online Shipment Tracking Portal
  • Settlement and Invoicing
  • Reporting

With electronics recycling management software, electronic waste recyclers can confidently meet various requirements and challenges.

Government Regulation and Licensing Compliance

Since California became the first state in the country to regulate E\electronic waste in 2003 (Electronic Waste Recycling Act of 2003), Federal, states and local governments have followed to implement various laws and regulations to monitor and regulate the operations of electronic waste recyclers.

Normally, electronic waste is considered universal waste or even hazardous waste by government regulations. Electronic waste recyclers are required to handle these materials by strict regulations set by the government agencies. Electronic waste recyclers are usually required to report various data, such as the source of the e-waste materials collected, type of materials accepted, quantity or weight of the e-waste materials received within a certain period of time, the movement and trails of the e-waste materials processed, and the downstream of the e-waste materials shipped, etc.

Electronic recycling management software allows electronic waste recyclers to enter these critical data through daily operations to collect and generate reports that meet government reporting requirements, such as the sources, types, weight and quantity of materials received, material movement, downstream vendor shipping records, etc.

Industry Certificate Requirements

Various industry certificate programs, such as R2–Responsible Recycler, E-Stewards, have also emerged to heighten the standards for the electronic waste recycling industry. The R2 Standard sets forth requirements relating to environmental and public health, worker health and safety, security, and the entire chain of custody of toxic materials through final disposition. It prohibits electronic waste recyclers and their downstream vendors from exporting these more toxic materials to countries that have enacted laws making their import illegal. Without R2 Certification, electronic waste recyclers may find it difficult to be able to receive materials from corporations, government agencies, education institutions, etc. because these organizations commonly consider R2 Certification as a minimum requirement when choosing an electronic waste recycler to send their obsolete electronics to.

By collecting daily operational data, setting standard operating procedures, controlling material downstream movements, labeling and barcoding inventories, electronic recycling management software can help recyclers meet these standards while reducing the time needed from manual data collections through hand written paper work or Excel.

Transparency of Reporting to Clients

As the awareness of pollutions caused by illegal exports of electronic waste grows, corporations, organizations, government agencies, educational institutions are increasingly requesting their electronic waste recyclers to provide transparent reporting of the electronic waste materials processed. It is not uncommon that larger organizations require their electronic waste recyclers to provide an online tracking portal for real-time tracking of the materials and shipments.

By implementing electronic recycling management software to collect real-time data from the daily operation, electronic waste recyclers can provide to their clients, not only transparent reports of their material movements, but they can also provide an online tracking portal to their clients for real-time material movement tracking. Their clients can even view videos or photos of the materials being recycled and processed at the recyclers’ facilities.

Financial Transactions

Electronic waste usually contains valuable recoverable materials, such as gold, copper, silver, platinum and plastics. Also, many obsolete electronics are still in working and resalable conditions. On the other hand, some electronic waste, such as CRT (Cathod Ray Tubes) monitors, TVs and broken LCDs are not only valueless but require additional cost to process and recycle.

Electronic waste recyclers, in order to be profitable and stay in business, will need to accurately grade, separate and price the obsolete electronics they receive and process and provide the final settlement report to their clients. These tasks are vital to the bottom line of the electronic waste recyclers.

Electronic recycling management software can assist electronic waste recyclers through the material receiving, grading, processing, sales and pricing process to generate the final settlement report to send to their clients. These receivable and payable data can also be integrated with the recyclers’ accounting software, such as QuickBooks.

Client Loyalty

Oftentimes, it is difficult for an electronic waste recycler to differentiate itself from other competing recyclers other than reducing the recycling fees or paying higher price for valuable materials and thus making it hard to maintain client loyalty.

However, electronic recycling management software can provide faster reporting and even an online tracking portal to allow recyclers’ clients to log in to track shipment status and download important documents and reports related to the recycling of their materials. This can be a great tool for recyclers to attract new clients as well as maintain client loyalties.

Other Benefits             

In addition, electronic recycling management software can benefit electronic waste recyclers in the following areas:

  • Inventory Control and Tracking
  • Streamlined and Standardized Operation Process
  • Digitalization and Centralization of Important Data
  • Improved Efficiency and Reduced Overhead Cost

The Future of Electronic Recycling Management Software

As mobile applications and devices become more popular and more affordable, it is expected that electronics recycling management software will be available on tables and mobile phones.  For example, warehouse receiving can be done on tablets while taking photos of materials received at the same time, drivers can have clients sign the Bill of Lading on tablets, etc.

By using such advanced mobile applications, electronics waste recyclers can further improve their operation efficiency throughout the whole recycling process, from entering orders, scheduling pickups and shipments to receiving and processing inventory, thus reducing operation cost and increase competiveness.

Bruce Jan has more than 14 years of experiences in the electronic waste recycling industry and is the Co-Founder and President of CycleLution, Inc. (Diamond Bar, CA), a leading cloud software provider for the industry. He can be reached at [email protected] or (626) 478-6467.

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