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ANOTHER GREEK TRAGEDy: ‘THE wHOLE COLLECTION SySTEM COLLAPSED’
The coronavirus pandemic has had a devastating
impact on the electronics recycling sector in Greece,
according to Thomas Papageorgiou, compliance direc-
tor at Athens-based recycling firm Anamet. During six
weeks of quarantine in Greece, e-scrap collection
dropped by 70 to 80%, he estimates.

The average amount of e-scrap collected in Greece –
under normal circumstances ranges – between 45 000
and 50 000 tonnes a year. ‘With almost two months lost
during the pandemic I expect that the number this year
will be somewhere around 40 000 or less,’ says
Papageorgiou.
Greek retail shops were forced to close their doors while
smaller scrap dealers stopped collecting. ‘In terms of
sourcing material it was a complete disaster, the whole
collection system collapsed,’ he notes. To make things
worse, people were obliged to stay at home, spending
less money. ‘As a result, I expect we’re going to see a
continuing trend of more people having less to spend on

consumer goods like fridges or air-conditioners, with the
relevant production of scrap decreasing accordingly.’

MORE IT TO fLOw
On a positive note, greater working from home during
the pandemic has led to an increased demand for light-
weight IT equipment. Papageorgiou: ‘So an increase of
higher value IT e-scrap might be expected,’ he says.
‘Nevertheless, with fewer heavy items including white
goods, the expectations are that, tonnage wise, the
quantity collected will be less.’

ISLAND COLLECTION PEAK?
Papageorgiou does not expect the opening of the Greek
islands, a major holiday destination, to boost e-scrap
flows. ‘The tourist season is already delayed and specific
protection measures are there so that hotels will not be
overloaded. Hotel owners are reluctant to proceed with
renovations or new investments which would normally
create some e-scrap peak,’ he explains.

Thomas Papageorgiou.

The lockdown has had huge impact on
supply within the US, says Josephita
Harry of Miami-based Pan American
Zinc. But she also argues that substan-
tial volumes of e-scrap in the near
future as a result of the increased reli-

ance on electronics for educational
purposes and for those working from
home. ‘Devices used during the crisis
need to be replaced or repaired soon-
er or later. There’s going to be a lot of
older devices coming out of the mar-

ket in the coming months,’ she insists.
According to Thomas Papageorgiou
of Greece-based Anamet, the closure
of the retail shops sector and the sus-
pension of many scrap dealer opera-
tions caused a dramatic decrease in

e-scrap across Europe, especially in
his own country (see box).

IT LEADS IN CRISIS
Papageorgiou insists technology is
playing a crucial role in guiding the
world through the current pandemic,
not least by enabling businesses to
continue to function through the huge
increase in home working. ‘I hate to
think what would have happened if we
hadn’t had the opportunities which
have come through technology,’ he
says.
But while Covid-19 has underlined
that electronics – and, by extension,
the e-scrap management industry –
are ‘very important for the whole
globe’, recyclers’ activities are often
viewed with unmerited scepticism, he
laments, referring to ever-stricter and
ever-complex regulation and legisla-
tion which cause electronics recyclers
and e-scrap exporters growing head-
aches.

INDIA ‘BIGGEST HEADACHE’
US metal scrap recyclers see the
‘tough’ lockdown in India as the big-
gest overseas trade issue during the
pandemic, leading to bank closures
and docks being unavailable.
‘None of the ports other than the
ones in India was closed,’ says George
Adams of California-based SA
Recycling. ‘Sure, we have had some
congestion issues in the beginning
with China but nothing dramatic com-
pared to India,’ said Adams. ‘Even in
South America, as in Peru, most of the
ports have remained open for busi-
ness.’
Greg Schnitzer of Schnitzer Steel
Industries says ‘all markets are avail-
able today’ and that the situation in
India is also easing. ‘Hopefully, we’ve
seen the worst of it and we’re coming
out of this,’ he says. ‘We’re beginning
to see demand pick up.’

CONTAINER ISSUES
Now that China is again shipping ‘a
lot of goods to the US West Coast’
there is no longer a shortage of con-
tainers, according to Adams. David
Chiao of Uni-All Group agrees that
this difficulty earlier in the pandemic

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