DOE introduces prize to encourage recycling of electronic scrap
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has introduced the Electronics Scrap Recycling Advancement Prize (E-SCRAP). The program will award up to $4 million to applicants to “substantially increase the production and use of critical materials recovered from electronic scrap—or e-scrap.” According to the DOE, only 17.4% of e-scrap was collected and recycled globally in 2019, meaning that $57 billion in raw material was discarded. E-SCRAP has been divided into three phases: incubate, prototype, and demonstrate. During phase 1, which begins now, entrants will propose solutions that can increase the amount of recovered critical materials from electronic waste and used in U.S. manufacturing. Cash prizes and assistance are awarded to applicants during phase 1 and 2. Applications are due September 4, 2024, at 5 p.m. EST with up to 10 projects being selected and awarded $50,000 in cash and up to $30,000 in national laboratory analysis support.
In a recent quote, Jeff Marootian, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy said, “This prize addresses the urgent need to reduce the amount of critical mineral waste that goes unrecycled in the technologies we use every day. We’re excited to see how ideas and solutions spurred by the competition can transform this huge environmental loss into new opportunities to recover and recycle critical materials from devices that are discarded after use.”
About the Author
Alexis GajewskiAlexis Gajewski
Senior Content Strategist
Alexis Gajewski is a manufacturing writer and editor with nearly 20 years of experience covering the people, practices, and technologies that keep industrial facilities running. For more than a decade, she served as Senior Content Strategist for Plant Services, creating content for plant managers, engineers, and maintenance professionals on a variety of industrial topics.
During her tenure, Alexis worked to develop the brand’s digital strategy and helped launch and produce Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast. She also created The Lighter Side of Manufacturing, a weekly blog that explored the inventive and sometimes humorous side of the industry.
Alexis co-founded Influential Women in Manufacturing, a recognition program that honored 49 women in its first two years, earned an industry award for Best Product Launch, and received a proclamation from Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and a commendation from U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth.
She also led newsroom operations and development at a large media company where she set editorial standards, developed training curriculum, and helped support AI adoption for more than 150 editors across 80+ brands spanning manufacturing, industrial processing, automation, and more.
Additionally, Alexis works as a freelance writer and editor, and her areas of interest include continuous improvement, the skilled workforce, and the role of emerging technology on the plant floor.
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