It takes a lot for an industry with more than 8,000 businesses and $22 billion in annual sales to change direction. That’s what’s happening now in automotive recycling, where self-serve salvage yards that permit customers to remove their own parts from scrapped vehicles are beginning to supplant traditional full-service operations.

Thus far, there are only about 200 pure self-service yards, estimated Dimitri Gerontis, principal at S3 Software Solutions, a Salt Lake City provider of software for self-service auto salvage operators. “But there are probably upwards of 400 to 500 of what would be considered a hybrid yard, bordering between self-service and full-service,” Gerontis said. “And everyone’s looking in that direction.”

Gerontis thinks the number of self-service yards is increasing by 20 percent to 25 percent per year. About half of those are new salvage yards opened up specifically to be self-service. The balance are full-service yards converting to self-service operation. ...read more

FOCUS on Electronics

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Proposed legislation that would ban the export of certain types of electronic waste has divided recyclers, with the largest industry association opposing the ban and a vocal and growing movement supporting it.

The Responsible Electronics Recycling Act (RERA), as the bill is known, is a re-introduction of a bill that failed to pass in the last session of Congress. It’s been introduced in both House and Senate, with sponsors or co-sponsors from both Republican and Democratic parties. Neither bill is given any chance of passing in the current Congressional session, due to the preoccupation with the upcoming elections. But given that similar legislation has been introduced in the last three sessions, it’s likely to come up again.  ...read more