Electronics Recycling

Metech International, a Worcester, Mass.-based electronics recycler and asset recovery firm, has announced the opening of a new recycling facility in Penang, Malaysia.

The 25,000-square-foot facility is designed for the secure de-manufacturing and certified destruction of electronics.

"Our customers are international, and it is Metech’s goal to provide them with the best and most secure recycling services wherever they are," Sam Advani, president of Metech, says. "We are doing this through establishing facilities and strategic partnerships worldwide to provide our customers with a local, one-stop recycling solution using the same accountable processes that Metech is known for in North America. This provides our global customers with a single supplier to handle their e-scrap for complete, documented disposal."

Metech Malaysia further extends the reach of Metech’s Accountable Resource Management (ARM) program. According to Metech, its ARM program, "assures customers complete product stewardship through step-by-step tracking and accountability for all material handling."

Metech serves customers in the automotive, electrical and electronic, jewelry and metal processing industries and offers computer and cell phone recycling programs for disposal of consumer electronics. Its facilities in Worcester, in Gilroy, Calif., and in Penang are all ISO 9001:2000 and ISO 14001:2004 certified.

The company has also announced it has renewed its International Association of Electronics Recyclers (IAER) certification for the Worcester and Gilroy plants.

"Continued IAER certification confirms our commitment to the responsible handling of electronic materials," Advani says. "The IAER Certified Electronics Recycler program complements Metech’s existing ISO 9001:2000 and ISO 14001:2004 certifications by adding additional elements including industry specific business practices, finance, security and employee training, health and safety."

Goodwill Industries of San Diego County and Dell, based in Round Rock, Texas, have partnered to introduce Reconnect San Diego, a free drop-off program for unwanted computers.

"Reconnect San Diego takes advantage of the existing donation and retail infrastructure of Goodwill and the recycling experience and resources of Dell to offer a proactive, community-based solution to environmentally responsible electronics disposal," according to a press release from Dell and Goodwill Industries of San Diego.

The San Diego Reconnect pilot program hopes to divert at least 2 million pounds of used computers and computer equipment from landfills during one year and to provide consumer education on the importance of proper computer disposal, while also creating job opportunities for individuals with disabilities and other employment barriers.

San Diego residents can call (888) 4-GOODWILL or (866) 48 REUSE (73873) or visit www.reconnectpartnership.com or www.sdgoodwill.org to locate the most convenient drop-off location at any of the 24 San Diego area Goodwill donation centers and retail stores.

Goodwill sorts the donated computer equipment, which will be recycled through the Dell Asset Recovery Services value recovery program. Dell’s authorized product recovery partner will remarket the recycled materials, such as plastics, glass and metals, and all sales proceeds will go to Goodwill to support its job training and employment services programs.

"This new alliance will really expand our existing electronics recycling program and further Goodwill’s mission at the same time," Mike Rowan, CEO of Goodwill Industries of San Diego County, says. "Working with Dell will help us ensure we are implementing the latest environmentally sound recycling practices."

Shawn Dennis, Dell vice president of global branding, says, "Our alliance with Goodwill is designed to be scalable and we’re confident it will eventually serve as a model other communities may voluntarily adopt."

Dell and Goodwill Industries organizations in Central Texas, Michigan and the San Francisco Bay area have also launched Reconnect pilot programs.

International Congress & Marketing (ICM), a Swiss company, has announced the dates for the Sixth International Electronics Recycling Congress.

The event will be in Hamburg, Germany, Jan. 17-19, 2007.

More than 300 delegates from industry, government authorities and academia are expected.

The preliminary program includes sessions on financial guarantees for recycling, reports on trading metals and plastics internationally, OEMs’ zero-landfill policies and take-back and recycling programs. Sessions also focus on the export of electronics to Asia, news about recycling and recovery processes and plants for recycling and the technologies available for dismantling, sorting and recycling of electronics.

A roundtable discussion centers on the EU legislation REACH (Registration, Evaluation and Authorization of Chemicals) and RoHS (Restriction on Hazardous Substances).

The congress includes a networking dinner and visits to electronics recycling plants and a leading copper smelter.

More information is available by contacting Jeanette Duttlinger at 41 62 785 10 00 or at info@icm.ch.