Earth911 Podcast: ERI CEO John Shegerian on Building a Circular Ewaste Economy

Earth911.com's Sustainability In Your Ear

Ewaste recycling falls woefully short of the levels necessary to reduce the need for mining and producing new raw materials that involve toxins that frequently reach the environment. We talked with John Shegerian, cofounder and CEO of ERI, a Fresno, Calif.-based ewaste recycler with 8 U.S. processing locations that serve every ZIP Code in the country and partnerships with recycling companies in 40 countries. John explains how ERI manages recycled electronics, the importance of choosing R2- and eStewards-certified electronics recyclers, and how the Basel Convention on shipping ewaste can be improved. We also talk through how retailers and technology manufacturers can participate in a closed-loop, regional recycling system to dramatically increase ewaste recycling.
ERI has also introduced what it calls the most comprehensive ewaste tracking platform to enable full transparency into the deposition of the materials it collects. Called the ESG Impact Report and Calculator, the tool provides accountability both regarding environmental performance and the personal data on digital devices it recycles. John pointed out in ERI’s 2020 ESG report that virtually every device we use today — from PCs and smart phones to video doorbells and smart watches — can carry personal data that can fall out of our control and potentially into the hands of hackers that can use it to steal identities, launch ransomware attacks, or simply post something embarrassing on the web. Send ERI an email to receive a copy of their book, The Insecurity of Everthing, to learn how to safely erase personal data before recycling a PC, laptop, smartphone or other smart devices. Your can learn about ERI at https://eridirect.com/