There is nothing wrong with exporting commodities that are a result of electronic waste recycling to developing countries, said Katie Reilly, program manager of e-waste legislation for Electronics Recyclers International.
“But what we donґt want to see happening is the export of e-waste so it can be dumped, most likely in a developing country, to be recycled by rudimentary means where people might be taking blow torches to an electronic device to recover the precious metals,” she said.
Reilly, along with Jori Pascarella, business development for Intercon Solutions, spoke on e-waste collection and recycling at the Residential Recycling Conference at the Gaylord Texan on March 29. The conference was co-organized by Waste & Recycling News and Republic Services Inc.
For a community or a business looking to start an e-waste collection drive or event, Reilly said it is important to understand the industry certifications and the actual company that is going to be doing the recycling. Both e-Stewards and R2, the industry standard third-party certifications, are important because they signal the company is likely managing the materials in a responsible way, she said.
“They are a stamp of approval for that recycler,” she said. “Thatґs what these certifications do for you. To be certified, you go through an auditing process and you end up getting audited at least once a year to keep up with certain standards. They are a good indicator that you are using a responsible recycler.”
Pascarella said for an e-waste collection event to be successful, the key is marketing.
“Itґs good to create incentives,” she said. “One business I worked with gave raffle tickets to everyone who participated, with the winner getting a cash prize.”
Source: Waste & Recycling News
By Jeremy Carroll