Sooner or later everyone knows that their electronics will give up the ghost, but somehow we’re still shocked when it happens.
Just like all electronics, eventually a Shure microphone has been subjected to so many years of abuse that it can’t be repaired and must be discarded.
Befitting a product whose specialty is taking a beating, the journey to that great road case in the sky ends . . . well, with another beating.
When a Shure product can no longer be repaired, it becomes scrap. In addition, the FCC’s closing of the 700 MHz frequency band has resulted in thousands of wireless microphone systems being replaced prematurely.
Many of these have been returned to Shure as part of its 700 MHz rebate program, adding to the amount of scrap.
Instead of simply sending all of this to a local landfill, Shure sends all scrap products and components to Sims Recycling Solutions, an EPA-approved electronics recycler.
Everything is shredded into pieces smaller than one inch, and then separated into different types of material (metals, glass, plastic, etc.). Each of these material streams is then recycled. Nothing goes to a landfill, and all processing takes place in the U.S.
“In 2009, Shure recycled 52 tons of material that would have been sent to landfills,” says Pat Knoll, Director, Global Facilities. “That has a significant environmental impact.” Knoll says that’s equivalent to saving 888 trees, or 214,206 kilowatts of electricity, or 19,844 gallons of oil, or 365,540 gallons of water.
Enjoy the video below from Sims Recycling Solutions, showcasing their electronics recycling process.
