Electronics Recycling

International Electronics Recycling Congress Scheduled for January
The Ninth International Electronics Recycling Congress (IERC), organized by the Swiss company ICM AG, will be Jan. 20-22, 2010, at the Salzburg Congress Center in Austria.
At the event, more than 350 delegates from industry, government authorities and academia are expected to discuss new information and challenges related to the waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) business, according to an ICM AG news release.
The programming for the IERC includes sessions covering:
• Innovations in LCD recycling;
• Best available technologies and plants for WEEE recycling;
• Staying green in tough times;
• Worldwide recycling industry reports;
• Monitoring quality standards;
• Added value of collection schemes; and
• Environmental benefits of recycling.

The congress also features an exhibition area where vendors can meet with their clients as well as a networking dinner.

This year the congress also is offering plant tours to a scrap metal and electronics recycling facility, a plastics recycling plant, a refrigerator recycling plant and a copper smelter near Salzburg.
More information is available at www.icm.ch or by phoning +41 62 785 1000.

Oregon Electronics Recycling Program Sees Strong Collection Numbers
The Oregon E-Cycles Program, which provides free recycling of televisions, computers and monitors throughout the state, collected 9.54 million pounds of electronic scrap for recycling in its first six months. The program, which launched Jan. 1, 2009, originally projected collection of 12.2 million pounds of material throughout 2009.
Of the 9.54 million pounds of electronics collected, 56 percent were televisions, 33 percent were monitors and 11 percent were computers.

Oregon E-Cycles is financed by electronic manufacturers and jointly implemented by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). While many manufacturers support the state contractor collection and recycling program, Dell, the Individual Producers Responsibility Group and the Manufacturers Recycling Management Co. operate their own collection and recycling programs, reporting to DEQ.

E-World Online Unveils Program to Help Track Obsolete Electronics
E-World Online, Vista, Calif., has announced the debut of the Manufacturer Interstate Takeback System (MITS). Conceived and developed by E-World Online, with direction from Sony Electronics, the system performs multiple functions, including tracking the collection, transportation and responsible recycling of obsolete electronics from households, small businesses and small governments in various extended producer responsibility (EPR) programs throughout the U.S.

MITS is currently looking for service partners to sign up as collectors within the state of Washington for 2010.
“The MITS program is ultimately a national solution for manufacturers of electronics to effectively handle EPR programs,” according to a press release from E-World Online. “MITS simplifies electronics recycling for consumers, collectors and recyclers by offering a fully integrated, simple and convenient electronic information exchange customized for the industry.”

 The system is designed to record and track data in real time, “giving MITS partners a clear, concise and transparent approach to seeing what has been collected, transported and recycled,” the company says.
Washington is the first independent state plan filed by the MITS Group, which is seeking partners to act as collection points for covered electronics.

Upon state approval of the MITS plan, consumers in Washington state can visit www.ecyclewashington.org beginning January 2010 or use the zip code finder available at www.MITSecycle.com to find the nearest drop-off location. Consumers can drop off their old televisions, monitors and computers, regardless of brand, to any MITS collection partners.

WMRA Joins with iGo to Offer Electronics Recycling
Waste Management Recycle America (WMRA), a wholly owned subsidiary of Houston-based Waste Management, has partnered with iGo, Shelton, Conn., a leading provider of portable power solutions, to provide recycling services for iGo electronic scrap.

Through the “iGo Recycles” consumer electronics and charger recycling program, iGo customers can mail back their used products, which WMRA will process to recover valuable components for reuse. WMRA, an ISO-certified partner, says it will recycle this material in conjunction with the Basel Action Network (BAN) Electronics Recycler’s Pledge of True Stewardship. In accordance with this program, WM Recycle America processes all hazardous materials domestically, protects workers’ health and tracks electronic scrap throughout the recycling chain.

“We are always looking for new partners and new ways to increase the recycling of e-waste, one of the fastest growing consumer waste streams,” says Patrick DeRueda, president of WMRA. “Our partnership with iGo will help capture and recycle more electronic equipment and instead of disposing these materials, repurpose them into new consumer goods.”