Electronics Recycling

Electronics Recyclers Receive R2 Certification

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has taken what it calls its first step to help electronics recyclers adhere to published export standards when processing and shipping obsolete electronics.

Through Responsible Recycling (R2) Practices Certifications, certified electronics recyclers will not ship material overseas without the consent of the designated country.

EPA notes that three companies have received the new designation: E-structors Inc., Elkridge, Md.; TechTurn, Austin, Texas; and Waste Management of Minnesota.

“This new e-cycling certification program will take the guesswork out of choosing a responsible recycler,” says Shawn Garvin, EPA regional administrator. “Recycling is an important tool in our arsenal, and we need to make sure it’s done correctly to prevent environmental harm and ensure the safe reuse of materials.”

According to the standards developed by EPA’s Responsible Recycling Practices Certifications, protocols required of certified recyclers will help reduce energy and natural resource consumption, greenhouse gases and hazardous waste.

The EPA also says recyclers are not permitted to burn or landfill certain materials. If electronics are to be sold for reuse, the recycler must show that all personal data has been cleared or destroyed and that the equipment has been tested and is in working condition and is properly packaged.

To apply for certification, electronics recyclers should contact certifying bodies SGS or Perry Johnson Registrars.

EPA Fines California Company for Violating CRT Export Laws

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued an order seeking penalties of up to $37,500 per day to Monterey Park, Calif.-based ZKW Trading for failing to properly manage electronic scrap that it attempted to export to Hong Kong.

EPA issued the penalty order after ZKW failed to comply with a September 2009 order requiring the company to remove its cargo from the Port of Long Beach and to submit a plan for management of the electronic scrap that the company had shipped to Hong Kong without providing required notice.

The material was part of a shipment of about 32,000 pounds of cathode ray tubes (CRTs) that had been rejected in Hong Kong and returned to the Port of Long Beach. ZKW failed to provide appropriate notice to EPA or to the receiving country as required by federal law.

The order gave ZKW Trading 30 days to remove the cargo and 45 days to submit a plan to the EPA detailing how it would reuse, recycle or discard the CRTs. ZKW Trading’s failure to comply with the order subjects the company to fines of up to $37,500 per day of noncompliance.

The CRT Rule, a regulation that requires U.S. exporters shipping CRTs to another country for recycling to notify the EPA and receive written consent from the receiving country prior to shipping, took effect in January 2007. The rule is intended to encourage recycling and reuse of used CRTs and CRT glass.

Electronic Scrap Bill Crosses First Hurdle in Utah

The Utah House of Representatives has passed House Bill 0153, which requires manufactures and consumer electronic device recyclers to provide a method to collect electronic scrap from residents of the state at no cost. The bill also would require that manufacturers and electronic scrap recyclers to register with the state’s Solid and Hazardous Waste Division of the Department of Environmental Quality. The proposed charge for initial licensing would be $3,000.

It is estimated that roughly 80 manufacturers and recyclers of electronics are located in the state. The bill estimates that revenue from the licenses would total nearly $240,000 for fiscal year 2011, with revenues for subsequent years dependent on renewal fees.

Rep. Rebecca Edwards sponsored the bill.

The estimated ongoing cost to implement and administer provisions of this bill from the state’s General Fund is $223,000.

The bill stipulates that a consumer electronics recycling program would be established within the state’s Division of Solid and Hazardous Waste. The division would maintain and make publicly available on its Web site a current list of registered manufacturers, registered recyclers and designated recycling drop-off points, according to the bill.

The division also would make rules, in accordance with Title 63G, Chapter 3, Utah Administrative Rulemaking Act, that establish requirements for the security and destruction of data remaining on a consumer electronic device submitted for recycling; the method and timing of submissions of requests for payment of reasonable recycling costs made by a registered recycler; environmental and handling requirements for the recycling of consumer electronic devices by a registered recycler; liability insurance requirements for a registered recycler on the basis of the potential liability of the registered recycler for damages in connection with the recycling of a consumer electronic device; and subject to Subsection, an administrative penalty for a violation of this chapter.

The bill also would give the Solid and Hazardous Waste Division the possibility to impose an administrative penalty against a registered recycler or manufacturer for violating the established rule. The penalty could include the suspension or revocation of a registration, a cease and desist order or a fine.

Under the bill, each county in Utah would have to designate at least one recycling drop-off point within the county where consumers would be able to drop off a consumer electronic device at no charge. In designating a recycling drop-off point, a county would be able to consult a local health department or solid waste district within the county.

A county that is not a county of the first-class or second-class would be able to designate one or more recycling drop-off points within the county where a consumer could drop off a consumer electronic device for no charge to the consumer, according to the bill.

House Bill 0153 also would allow an electronics manufacturer to designate one or more recycling drop-off points within the state where a consumer may drop off a consumer electronic device for no charge.

IMS Electronics Recycling Achieves Responsible Recycling Certification

The Vancouver, Wash., and Poway, Calif., locations of IMS Electronics Recycling have become certified to the R2 standard by the certification body SGS. R2, or Responsible Recycling, is a set of voluntary practices for electronics recyclers to ensure they are handling electronic scrap in an environmentally safe and secure manner.

The company says it also was certified to the ISO 9001 standard by Bureau Veritas, an accredited third-party auditor.

Since April 2007 IMS Electronics Recycling has been certified to the ISO 14001 and OSHAS 18001 environmental, health and safety standards. By adding the R2 and ISO 9001 certifications, the IMS Electronics Recycling management system ensures one of the highest standards of operation in the industry, according to the company.

IMS Electronics Recycling, a subsidiary of the IMS Group, San Diego, has been processing electronics scrap since 1999. 

Illinois EPA Notifies Electronics Manufacturers of Recycling Requirements

The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is notifying companies involved in selling a range of electronic equipment that there have been changes in recycling requirements in the state as a result of the Electronic Products Recycling and Reuse Act as its phase-in continues.

 The state law requires electronic manufacturers and retailers to properly manage discarded and unwanted electronic products, should they wish to sell their products in the state. These companies must establish a system for recycling and reusing computers, monitors, televisions and printers discarded from residences.

 Beginning Jan. 1, 2012, computers, monitors, televisions and printers will be banned from landfill disposal.

 Annually, the Illinois EPA sets a statewide goal for the amount of electronic scrap that must be recycled and then allocates that goal among electronics manufacturers based on various formulas included in the act. The statewide recycling goal for 2010 is 31 million pounds. Manufacturers are required to pay for electronics recycling and refurbishment up to the amount of their annual goals.

 The law does not specify methods for manufacturers to meet these obligations, with the intention that the free-market approach will determine the most cost-effective means of annual goal achievement.

 The Illinois EPA has compiled a list of electronic scrap collectors that Illinois residents can contact regarding recycling either at no charge or in exchange for a dollar-for-dollar coupon that can be used to reduce the cost of new equipment. This page can be accessed through the Illinois EPA Web site (www.epa.state.il.us) by navigating through to the Bureau of Land’s “Electronic Waste Recycling” tab.

Canadian Government Awards GEEP Standing Offer Contract

Global Electric Electronic Processing Inc. (GEEP), based in Barrie, Ontario, has been selected by Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC) for the provision of environmentally sound recycling of Federal Surplus Electric & Electronic Equipment nationwide for the Canadian government following third-party audits of its Barrie and Edmonton, Alberta, processing facilities.

This Standing Offer will contribute to PWGSC’s mandate of assisting the government in its commitment to become a model of environmental excellence in its operations and within its broader sustainable development strategy, according to a GEEP news release. The Standing Offer is expected to recycle more than 4 million pounds of the Canadian government’s electronic scrap.