Turning eWaste into eCycling: Finding an Electronics Recycler

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Turning eWaste into eCycling Finding an
Electronics Recycler

• FEC Partner Teleconference
• October 4, 2007

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Overview

• Reasons to recycle electronics
• Electronics end-of-life flow chart
• Following personal property regulations
• FEC best practices
• Finding and evaluating a recycler
• Types of recyclers
• Recycler performance standards
• FEC tools
• Preparing to recycle
• Resources

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Why Recycle?

• Volume
• Used or unwanted electronics amounted to
  approximately 1.9 to 2.2 million tons
• Of that, about 1.5 to 1.9 million tons were
  primarily discarded in landfills
• Only 345,000 to 379,000 tons were recycled
• Toxicity
• Electronics may can hazardous substances (heavy
  metals, flame retardants)
• Value
• Electronics may contain precious metals
• Recyclers recover more than 100 million pounds of
  materials from electronics each year

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Electronics End-of-Life
General Services Administration Hierarchy
Reuse Internally
Declared Excess
Computers for Learning
Environmental Hierarchy
Report to GSA
Reuse
Transfer to other Federal Agencies
AND/OR
Refurbishment
Declared Surplus
Donation (States Nonprofits)
Sales
Recycling
Abandon / Destroy / Recycle
Incineration / Landfill
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Recycling Government Personal Property

• Must adhere to federal regulation
• Property must be offered through the GSA
  disposition process (excess, surplus, sales)
• Property with no value may be labeled for
  abandonment and destruction
• Agencies can donate to a public body in lieu of
  abandonment (UNICOR)

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Recycling Government Personal Property

• Must adhere to Executive Order 13423
• Use environmentally sound practices with respect
  to disposition of agency electronic equipment
  that has reached the end of its useful life
• and the Implementing Instructions
• Agencies shall comply with GSA procedures for the
  transfer, donation, sale and recycling of
  electronic equipment, as well as any applicable
  Federal, State an local laws and regulations
• Agencies shall use national standards, best
  management practices, or a national certification
  program for recyclers
• In the absence of these, agencies shall use EPAs
  Guidelines for Materials Management for Plug-In
  to eCycling partners

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FEC Best Practices

• Use recyclers under the Recycling of Electronics
  and Asset Disposition (READ) Services Contract
• Contract with UNICOR
• Choose and contract with another environmentally
  responsible electronics recycler
• Perform due diligence
• DoD equipment must go through DRMS

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Finding an Electronics Recycler

• EPAs eCycling Web site includes links to
  donation, recycling and manufacturer take-back
  Web sites
• http//www.epa.gov/epaoswer/hazwaste/recycle/ecycl
  ing/donate.htm
• GSAs Environmental Services Schedule (GSA
  899-5), a multiple award schedule of electronic
  waste or hazardous material recycling contractors
• Contact your local or state environmental or
  solid waste agency for assistance
• Local collection programs or databases of vendors

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Types of Electronics Recyclers

• Asset Management
• Repair and Refurbish
• De-manufacture
• Parts and Subassemblies Recovery
• Materials Recovery and Recycling
• Materials Processing and Refining
• Brokers

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Asset Management

• Specialize in moving and managing of equipment
• Corporate move-out firms
• End of lease equipment
• May handle more than electronics
• Equipment may go to reuse or recycling
• Useful equipment may be resold or sent to a
  refurbisher
• Obsolete equipment may be disposed of or recycled

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Repair and Refurbish

• Resell equipment as-is
• May provide media sanitization, cleaning
• Refurbish equipment to improve value for resale
• Repair or replace nonfunctional components
• Upgrade obsolete components
• Equipment likely to be reused
• Equipment that can not be repaired or upgraded,
  and broken and replaced components, may be
  disposed of or recycled

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De-Manufacture

• Disassembles equipment for bulk reuse or
  recycling
• By part (memory, disk drives, processors)
• By material (plastics, glass, metals)
• Material likely processed by hand
• Most or all components and materials are reused
  or recycled

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Parts and Subassemblies Recovery

• Resell parts and subassemblies after testing
• Recovered items vary
• Parts microchips and memory removed from
  motherboards, power supplies, video and sound
  cards, hard drives
• Subassemblies motherboards with intact
  components, cases with power supplies
• May disassemble whole equipment or receive
  components from a demanufacturer or refurbisher
• Most or all components and materials are reused
  or recycled

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Materials Recovery and Recycling

• Separate out, and prepare materials for recycling
• May disassemble whole equipment or receive
  components from other types of processors
• May process materials by shredding or other
  methods
• Most or all materials are recycled

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Materials Processing and Refining

• Receive containers of like, processed, materials
• Processes the material into a purer, more uniform
  material
• Reuse potential of the material depends on its
  quality
• Processed material is ready to be made into new
  products
• Metal smelters will process base and precious
  metals
• Special glass furnaces will handle CRT glass

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Brokers

• Brokers use relationships and networking to find
  markets for equipment and materials
• A brokers assets are their relationships and
  information about them may be closely guarded
• Ask questions so that you are comfortable that
  the equipment and component materials are
  properly handled
• Brokers may move devices, parts, or processed
  material

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Important Notes!

• One recycling company may have operations
  covering more than one recycling activity
• Equipment that is sent for recycling may change
  hands several times during its processing
• Understand the downstream processes of your
  recycler and be sure they demonstrate due
  diligence

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Recycler Performance Standards
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IAER Certification Program

• Eligibility
• IAER member companies
• Requirements
• Management systems for environment, health,
  safety and quality
• Specific business practices in management,
  finances, insurance and security
• Operational capabilities and processes to address
  materials of concern, down stream due diligence,
  risk management, qualification and training of
  personnel, and suitable equipment and facilities
• Process
• Application, pre-screening, audit by third-party
  registrar
• Designated Certified Electronics Recycler

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EPA Guidelines for Materials Management

• Eligibility
• Guidance for EPAs Plug-In to eCycling Partners
• Guidelines may be used by recyclers
• Requirements
• Maximize reuse, refurbishment, recycling to
  minimize incineration and landfilling
• Specifics for exported materials
• Specifics for designated materials for reuse,
  refurbishment and recycling
• Process
• Guidance for due diligence
• Requires proper record keeping

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BAN Electronics Recyclers Pledge of True
Stewardship

• Eligibility
• Any electronics recycler that can meet the
  requirements
• Requirements
• No incineration or landfilling export of
  hazardous waste use of prison labor
• Environmental management system in place
• Track downstream processes and compliance,
  provide insurance and due diligence
• Support Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR)
  and Design for the Environment (DfE) programs or
  legislation
• Process
• Apply for BAN qualification, provide
  documentation
• Sign pledge

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ISRI Recycling Industry Operating Standard
(RIOS)

• Eligibility
• Scrap recycling companies
• Requirements
• Integrated management system for quality,
  environmental, and health and safety
• Follow plan-do-check-act method
• Process
• Sign up as RIOS member
• Obtain RIOS certification

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Important Notes!

• No federal agency (including the EPA or the
  Department of Defense) certifies electronics
  recyclers
• Companies may have environmental permits or
  follow agency guidelines or standards
• All companies should follow federal, state and
  local environmental regulations

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FEC Tools

• Recycling of Electronic Equipment
• http//www.federalelectronicschallenge.net/resourc
  es/docs/recycling.pdf
• Checklist for Selection of Electronics Reuse and
  Recycling Services
• http//www.federalelectronicschallenge.net/resourc
  es/docs/select.pdf
• Guidelines for On-Site Reviews of Electronics
  Recyclers
• http//www.federalelectronicschallenge.net/resourc
  es/docs/onsite_review.pdf

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Checklist for the Selection of Electronic Reuse
and Recycling Services

• Checklist to help make a first cut when
  conducting a market survey of potential recyclers
• Can be completed over the phone or via email
• Check boxes make for easy comparisons between
  companies
• Even if using READ or UNICOR this can help you to
  decide what services to request when asking for
  cost estimates

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Guidelines for On-Site Reviews of Electronics
Recyclers

• Tool for documenting a detailed on-site visit
• Provides questions and important considerations
• Provides a worksheet to record answers and
  observations
• Review information can be shared among FEC
  Partners
• Tool contains Confidentiality Notice and
  addresses use of Confidential Business
  Information (CBI)
• Required for 2008 FEC Award activities when using
  a recycler besides UNICOR or a READ contractor

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Preparing to Recycle

• Collect all peripherals and cables
• Complete media sanitization of internal and
  external media
• Remove property decals (if recipient takes
  ownership)
• Remove external media (disks, CDs, DVDs, USB
  drives, paper)
• Properly package equipment to reduce breakage
• Complete necessary documentation

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Resources

• FEC (End-of-life)
• http//www.federalelectronicschallenge.net/resourc
  es/eolmngt.htm
• GSA (Personal Property Disposal)
• http//www.gsa.gov/Portal/gsa/ep/channelView.do?pa
  geTypeId8211channelId-13012
• DRMS
• http//www.drms.dla.mil/
• EPA (Plug-In to eCycling)
• http//www.epa.gov/epaoswer/osw/conserve/plugin/

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Contact Us

• FEC Champions
• https//db2.erg.com/fec/champions.asp
• Partner E-mail
• partner_at_electronicschallenge.net
• Cate Berard
• berard.cate_at_epa.gov
• 202-564-8847