Comcast Cable is partnering with Envela Corp. subsidiary Echo Environmental Holdings, LLC, to recycle customers’ coaxial cables.
Echo Environmental’s technology breaks wires down into raw materials that can be reused and resold, reducing landfill waste.
Comcast has committed to be carbon neutral by 2035 in Scope 1 and 2 emissions across the company’s entire global operations. Recycling the coax cable is a major step step towards addressing scope 3 emissions and Comcast’s broader environment goals. Coaxial cables include multi-layered cords with a steel inner conductor, insulating layer, and conductive shielding, as well as 27 different polymers requiring separation for use in new products.
Though traditional recycling attempts have been successfully recovering the metals contained in the wires, the insulation and jacketing have typically wound up in landfills. Echo Environmental created a new solution to create high-polymer fractions from the insulation and jacketing without hazardous chemicals or incineration.
“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,” said Tom Vogel, Comcast Cable senior vice president of supply chain and logistics, in a prepared statement. “Echo Environmental’s technology brings coax waste into the circular economy, converting coax into new materials that can be reintegrated into another product lifecycle.”
“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,” said Tommy McGuire, Echo Environmental president, in a prepared statement.
Numerous other telecom firms, including Verizon and the Sprint operations acquired by T-Mobile are undertaking a variety of initiatives to make reductions in their carbon footprints.
This post has been updated with clarifications about Comcast environmental goals.
