Onsite Electronics Recycling obtains e-Stewards certification

Posted on September 9, 2011 by admin

Stockton, Calif.-based Onsite Electronics Recycling has announced that it has been certified to the e-Stewards Standard for Responsible Recycling and Reuse of Electronic Equipment^®.

Onsite Electronics Recycling is the 14^th company in North America and the third in California to have achieved e-Stewards Certification, according to the Basal Action Network (BAN), the Seattle-based organization that developed the certification. .

The accredited, third-party-audited program is one of two recycler certification programs now required for the recycling of electronics generated by U.S. government agencies, according to the National Strategy for Electronics Stewardship.

“In achieving e-Stewards Certification, Onsite Electronics Recycling has demonstrated adherence to the most rigorous electronics recycling standard in the world,” says Jim Puckett, BAN executive director. “By providing good jobs with fair wages and benefits in an award-winning environmentally designed and managed facility, Onsite shows that responsible e-waste recycling makes sense for the environment, society and the economy.”

“We are proud to receive this certification, because it represents our adherence to the strictest environmental and social standards in the Industry which are principle to our operating philosophy,” said Janice Oldemeyer, president of Onsite Electronics Recycling. The company was founded on the principal that e-scrap should be managed responsibly in the United States, creating local jobs with fair wages and benefits, she said.

The company’s customers include OEMs, small and medium-sized businesses, residents, nonprofits, solid waste companies and governmental organizations.

ECS Refining obtains e-Stewards certification

Posted on August 31, 2011 by admin

ECS Refining of Santa Clara, Calif., has obtained e-Stewards certifications for its facility in Terrell, Texas.

“This is a significant milestone for our company. Many of our customers and partners have been looking for assurance from e-recyclers such as ECS that we have the highest standards and processes available in the world,” said Jim Taggart, Chief Executive Officer, ECS Refining. “We had been an e-Stewards Founder since the program’s inception, but we weren’t going to be satisfied until we secured the most relevant industry standard by becoming ‘e-Stewards Certified.’ In addition, we are continuing audits with our other regional processing facilities to provide a fully certified, national solution for our clients.”

The e-Stewards Certification was developed by a group of electronics recyclers, environmentalists, industry leaders and health and safety and technical experts working with the Basel Action Network (BAN), a non-governmental organization focused on stopping e-waste exports. The e-Stewards Certification program, created by BAN, formally recognizes electronics recyclers that adhere to environmentally and socially responsible practices when recovering hazardous electronic materials.

“This designation is extremely meaningful to our customers and prospects. They can be assured that our recycled materials are processed correctly, safely and not sent overseas. Some of our competitors can’t make that claim,” said Mark Robards, Vice President of Sales, ECS Refining. “This certification publicly va lidates and extends our 30 year policy of being a conscientious e-recycling company which our partners, customers and consumers can trust.”

Companies pursuing e-Stewards Certification undergo audits to ensure they comply with the e-Stewards Standard and have a registered ISO 14001:2004 environmental management system in place.

“We’re proud to announce that ECS Refining Texas has received e-Stewards Certification. This is no small feat,” said Jim Puckett, Executive Director of BAN. “ECS’s addition to our network of responsible recyclers is particularly important since they have processes that not only serve generators of e-waste but also the electronics recycling industry. Having them as a qualified processor for other recyclers seeking responsible domestic recycling moves our mission of accountable recycling forward.”

Australian e-waste lobby to become recycler

Posted on August 30, 2011 by admin

Product Stewardship Australia is making the change from a lobbying group to a stewardship organization, a technology website reports.

The organization campaigned for national e-waste legislation in Australia, and is hoping to become an operational entity to recycle e-waste, the website said.

Formed by television and computer manufacturers in 2004, Product Stewardship Australia lobbied the Australian government in support of a national extended producer responsibilty program for e-waste management.
After seven years, the government passed legislation in 2011 for an e-waste EPR program, with mandates beginning after 2012.

According to ZDNet:

PSA said in a statement today that as the legislative process nears completion, it would look to transition itself from a lobby to an operational Product Steward Organisation for the handling of e-waste.

Stuart Clark, chairman of PSA, said today that he was proud of the lobby’s achievements.

“Over seven years, PSA has been at the forefront of driving some of the most significant environmental policy reform in Australia.

“This has been a long and committed effort, but one that is ultimately going to benefit all Australians by providing a community-friendly take-back service for obsolete TVs and computers. The PSA board is especially grateful to the association’s member companies, who have provided relentless support and funding to achieve a positive recycling outcome,” Clark said in a statement today.

Supporting manufacturers include Acer, Apple, Canon, Dell, Epson, Fuji, HP, IBM, LG, Panasonic, Samsung, Sanyo, Sharp and Sony.

For more on Australia’s Electronics Recycling standards, download here: INTERIM-INDUSTRY-STANDARD or CLICK HERE.

Sprint CEO invited to write post on White House website

Posted on August 25, 2011 by admin

Sprint was noted on the Obama Administration’s official website for its commitment to e-waste recycling.

Sprint CEO Dan Hesse.

Sprint CEO Dan Hesse was invited to write a guest post on the website for the President’s Council on Environmental Quality. Hesse wrote about the Obama Administration’s national e-waste recycling initiative, announced July 20.

“On July 20 the EPA invited Sprint, along with Dell and Sony, to Austin, Texas to be among the first corporations to publicly commit to follow a new national e-waste strategy. We were honored to join EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson, General Services Administrator Martha Johnson, and White House Council on Environmental Quality Chair Nancy Sutley as they issued the National Strategy for Electronics Stewardship.

“The collaborative work of the EPA, General Services Administration (GSA), Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) and the dozen additional agencies represented on the e-waste task force that developed the National Strategy over the past eight months is an example to all who manufacture and distribute electronic products. Sprint commends the Federal Government’s commitment to ensure that all electronics it uses are reused or recycled at a certified recycler. An e-waste solution will require on-going collaboration, shared commitment, accountability and meaningful action from companies in all sectors. I am proud that Sprint – along with Dell and Sony – has implemented sustainable business practices early on.”

Hesse described the company’s commitment to e-waste recycling in the blog post.

Sprint’s Electronics Stewardship Policy sets aggressive e-waste goals, including the collection of nine phones for reuse or recycling for every 10 sold by 2017. To date, Sprint has collected more than 25 million mobile phones— keeping them out of landfills, helping to conserve resources, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and preventing air and water pollution.

For the second year, Sprint received the Sustainability Leadership Award from the International Electronics Recycling Conference for our full-lifecycle product approach. On the design end, we have more environmentally-friendly devices and accessories than any other carrier. We recently launched our fourth green device and first eco-friendly Android phone – the new Samsung Replenish. It’s made with 82 percent recyclable materials, and is the first phone in the U.S. with a solar battery cover. And it’s the first mobile device to receive UL Environment’s Platinum certification.

At the other end of the lifecycle, Sprint’s industry-first Electronics Stewardship Policy gave us the opportunity to work with environmental organizations like BSR, Basel Action Network and ABI Research to develop goals. The new national e-waste policy will enhance progress in the area of sustainable electronics management. Sprint’s commitment to the new national strategy will boost our goals in several areas including greater transparency in our operations.

Sprint is honored to be among the first companies to sign the new sustainable electronics management policy and to make our commitment public.

SGS to offer services to ensure compliance with new India ewaste laws

Posted on August 24, 2011 by admin

Photo by EMPA. Supplied by UNU

SGS, a global inspection, verification, testing and certification company, is promoting its services to help ensure compliance with India’s Ministry of Environment and Forests new “E-waste (Management and Handling) Rules 2011.”

The new rules go into effect May 2012. The company said the new Indian regulations bear a “considerable similarity” with the EU’s WEEE and RoHS legislation for producers and dismantlers of electrical and electronic equipment.

The new law will apply to all those in the supply and usage chains, from producers to dismantlers of electrical and electronic equipment, the company said, and includes an Extended Producers’ Responsibility mandate for recycling, for reducing levels of hazardous substances in electronics and setting up collection centers. It is understood that this legislation is being promoted by Non Governmental Organizations and a few manufacturers who already have “green policies” that restrict most of the substances mentioned.

“As the law takes effect, the e-waste rules will require manufacturers and importers to supply only “RoHS compliant” products provide written evidence of compliance, and include details about the restricted substances in the product information booklet. Such reduction in use of hazardous substances in manufactured or imported electrical and electronic equipment shall be achieved within two years from the date of the act’s commencement. SGS is the market leader in RoHS testing and can provide a global compliance program covering the whole supply chain,” the company said.

For more information, visit the company’s website at http://www.ee.sgs.com/global-rohs-services.htm or contact:

SGS Consumer Testing Services
Asish Chakraborty
Manager-Technical (Multilabs)

SGS India Private Limited
15 C Hemanta Basu Sarani, 3rd & 4th Floors,
LMJ Chambers, Kolkata, 700 001, India

t: +91 33 662 66 100 -104 (B)
f: +91 33 224 20 745, 224 81 745
Email: cts.media@sgs.com

Oregon collects 12.2 million pounds for electronics recycling in six months

Posted on August 9, 2011 by admin

News outlets in Oregon are reporting the Oregon E-Cycles program is gaining steam in its thid program year.

Halfway through 2011, totals from collection sites and events amounted to 12.2 million pounds of e-waste collected for recycling, up from last year’s mid-year collection total of 11.9 million pounds for recycling, reports OregonLive.com.

Reuse is also growing, the program reported – nearly 18,000 TV, computer and monitor units have been diverted for reuse so far this year.

E-waste recycling in Oregon became obligatory in 2009 after the passage of producer responsibility laws in the state.

Each year, collection goals of 19 million pounds and 21.5 million pounds have been surpassed, the website reported. The program is on track to meet its 2011 collection goal of 22.95 million pounds.

For more information on electronic recycling in Oregon, Oregon E-Cycles, visit www.oregonecycles.org or call 1-888-532-9253.