30: Beyond Recycling: The Global Systems Behind E-Waste

In this episode, Rachel A. Meidl is joined by Natalie Messer Betts, vice president of sustainability at the Recycled Materials Association (REMA), to discuss the growing challenge of discarded electronics — from phones and laptops to data center equipment and medical devices. They explore why the term “e-waste” can be misleading, how reuse and refurbishment can provide greater environmental benefits than recycling alone, and why only a small share of discarded electronics enters formal recovery systems. The conversation follows electronics across their full life cycle — from mining and critical minerals to trade, standards, and informal recycling — and examines how improved design, policy, measurement, and certified recycling practices can support more circular and globally connected supply chains. Featured guests:  Natalie Messer Betts This conversation was recorded on June 5, 2026. Follow Rachel A. Meidl, LP.D., CHMM on X (@MeidlRachel) and LinkedIn. You can follow @BakerInstitute and @CES_Baker_Inst on X, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube. Learn more about our data-driven, nonpartisan policy research and analysis at bakerinstitute.org.