Comcast said it has teamed up with Carrollton, Texas-based Echo Environmental Holdings for a new program that will allow the cable operator to recycle its old coaxial cables into reusable materials.
Echo Environmental, a unit of Envela Corp., has developed technology that breaks down coax wires into raw, new materials that can be reintroduced and resold, significantly reducing landfill waste.
“Comcast works to continually recycle or divert cable equipment waste, and we have been in constant search for new technologies to maximize the recyclability and reusability of coax cable materials at end-of-life,” Comcast Cable senior VP of supply chain & logistics Tom Vogel said in a press release. “Echo Environmental’s technology brings coax waste into the circular economy, converting coax into new materials that can be reintegrated into another product lifecycle.”
Coaxial cables are made up of multi-layered cords with a steel inner conductor, an insulating layer, and conductive shielding and the cables can be made of 27 different polymers that require separation for use in new products. Although traditional recycling attempts have been successful in recovering the metals contained in the wires, the insulation and jacketing can end up in landfills.
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Echo Environmental’s solution creates high-polymer fractions from the insulation and jacketing without hazardous chemicals or incineration, and allows these substances to be reintroduced directly into supply chains as raw materials, Comcast said.
“We are excited to collaborate with our customers, such as Comcast, to find new ways to promote sustainability through innovative technology—a core tenet of Echo’s business philosophy. And we love that such solutions also help customers repurpose end-of-life materials,” Echo Environmental president Tommy McGuire said in a press release.
Echo Environmental said its plant has the capacity to recycle one million pounds of wire waste per month and will recycle approximately 70% of Comcast’s cable and coax waste each year. ■
