EPA Fines California Computer Recycler for Illegal CRT Shipments
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has fined Jet Ocean Technologies of Chino, Calif., $10,300 for failing to notify the EPA of an export shipment of cathode ray tubes (CRTs) in violation of federal hazardous waste laws.
Earlier this year, Jet Ocean consigned 441 computer monitors with CRTs, listing the cargo as "mixed metal scrap," for shipment to Hong Kong, where it was rejected by Hong Kong customs authorities.
This past March, the EPA was alerted by U.S. Customs and Border Protection at the Port of Long Beach to the arrival of Jet Ocean’s returned shipping container. Jet Ocean’s shipment of CRTs was eventually recycled in Florida.
Regulations took effect January 2007 requiring exporters shipping broken or unbroken CRTs to another country for recycling to notify the EPA and receive written consent from the receiving country before shipments can be made.
>> ELECTRONICS RECYCLING
Cascade Asset Management Adds Technical Facilities
Madison, Wis.-based Cascade Asset Management, a provider of IT asset retirement solutions, has opened six technical facilities across the United States to expand its service footprint.
Cascade has added technical facilities in Delaware, Florida, Texas, Colorado, California and Washington to complement the company’s existing processing centers in Wisconsin and Indiana.
Neil Peters-Michaud, Cascade CEO and co-founder, says, "With rising gas prices and the increasing concern about identity theft, Cascade’s network of eight company-owned facilities reduces freight costs and provides a direct and secure route for the disposition of technology assets."
Metech International Expands to North Carolina
Metech International, based in Gilroy, Calif., has announced the establishment of a new recycling facility in Durham, N.C.
The 30,000-square-foot facility is in Durham’s Research Tri-Center South II and is specifically designed for the demanufacturing, certified destruction and material recovery from components and systems from the electronics industry.
According to a press release from Metech, the new facility will allow the company to better service its clients on a regionalized basis, decreasing transportation costs and processing times for clients with operations in the South and Southeastern United States.
Metech says it expects to have the facility ISO 9001:2000 and ISO14001:2004 certified by the end of the year.
"Consumer demand has increased our electronics recycling business," Sam Advani, president and CEO of Metech, says. "Higher volume and an expanding customer base prompted our decision to open a full-service electronics recycling facility in North Carolina. This expansion is part of Metech’s continuing efforts to effectively and efficiently service our customers."
Metech International specializes in recycling and reuse of industrial manufacturing scrap, obsolete inventory and end-of-life electronics. The company 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. Metech has additional processing facilities in California, Colorado, Massachusetts, Nebraska and Utah.
More information is available online at www.metechgroup.com.
ERI Expands Headquarters
Electronic Recyclers International (ERI), Fresno, Calif., has announced that it has received approval from the Fresno City Council to develop a new electronics recycling facility less than one mile from its existing headquarters.
The new facility will enable ERI to support its steady growth, accommodate crusher machinery and add at least 60 new employees, according to a company press release.
In addition to the 60 new jobs that are being created and added to the more than 220 existing ERI employees in Fresno, ERI’s new 175,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art electronics recycling facility will generate an additional $12 million in revenue, according to the company.
John S. Shegerian, chairman and CEO of ERI, says, "As a national and global leader of our industry, we’re very proud to be headquartered in Fresno and grateful to the region’s leaders who have supported us and enabled us to be a growing, successful business, even during these economically challenging times."
Shegerian says the new facility will house the largest, most technologically advanced electronic scrap sorter in North America. Additionally, ERI will outfit the new facility with HEPA air filters, energy-efficient lighting and other environment-friendly elements to create a healthy work environment for its employees, the company says.
American Retroworks Adds Processing Capacity
American Retroworks Inc. (ARI), based in Middlebury, Vt., has expanded its processing capacity with the purchase of a new facility.
ARI has closed on the purchase of a 50,000-square-foot facility in Middlebury that operates under the name Good Point Recycling. The facility offers repair, reuse and recycling of computers and TVs.
The expansion allows Good Point to add fluorescent lamp recycling, textile baling, OEM branded take-back programs, secure data destruction, plastic recycling and other processes to its roster of services. "We want to continue to add value to our routes and services in New England," says Robin Ingenthron, president of ARI.
ARI also is expanding services in Arizona and in Sonora, Mexico. In 2009, the company plans to offer complete tear-down, rebuilding and re-assembly of CRTs (cathode ray tubes) at the plant in Mexico for re-export or definitive end-of-life recycling.
ARI’s focus is "fair trade" export, or the export of working and tested electronics with a guarantee of complete downstream due diligence, according to Ingenthron.
Responsible exporting is a win-win, he says. "If used computer exports are outlawed, only outlaws will export used computers," Ingenthron says. "We need good people to reform export practices the way they are reforming the coffee trade, through accountability and communication," he adds.
Explore the January 2009 Issue
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