EPA Assists in Creation of New Electronics Recycling Certification
Guiyu is one of the biggest e-waste centers of the world. More than a million ton of e-waste is dismantled in this Chinese village every year. Photo: Flickr/Bert van Dijik
In an attempt to address concerns about improper disposal and unidentified international exports, the U.S. EPA has facilitated the creation of the Responsible Recycling Practices for Electronics Recyclers (R2), a set of standards for electronics recyclers.
The new certification covers a range of e-waste topics, including banning certain materials from landfills or burning. While electronics pose no environmental harm on your desk, they contain heavy metals like lead and mercury that can contaminate soil and water if improperly disposed.
The R2 standard does not prevent companies from shipping electronics overseas, as the EPA wants to encourage exploring alternative markets that may not be available in the U.S. However, it requires any e-cyclers to obtain documentation from a foreign government before anything is shipped, to prevent unknown exports.
The issue of exporting has been a popular environmental topic because many of the countries that accept electronics do not have the same safety requirements as the United States when it comes to dismantling. This can create health hazards for workers and contribute to air and water pollution.
Yet another area covered by this certification is personal information. In the case that electronics are sold for reuse, it requires that all information on things like hard drives are destroyed.
R2 is the latest certification that electronics recyclers can strive for. The Basel Action Network provides its e-Stewards certification for companies that commit to certain standards, and there is also ISO 14001 certification that focuses on the environmental impact of the recycling process.
None of these certifications is currently required for a company to collect and recycle electronics. For R2 certification, there are currently two companies that provide inspection - Perry Johnson Registrars and SGS.
Editor’s Note: This article was updated on Dec. 2, 2010 to correct the following information: The U.S. EPA does not necessarily monitor electronics recyclers. The EPA has worked closely with stakeholders, including recyclers, equipment manufacturers, representatives of state government, trade associations and public interest groups, to develop the R2 program. This correction has been reflected in both a change of headline and wording in the first paragraph of the article. In the sixth paragraph, ISO 14000 was updated to ISO 14001.
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The below comments are closed and are listed for historical purposes.
Carol Baroudi
posted on April 9th, 2010 at 6:01 pm
R2 may be the “newest” but it’s not the “highest”. R2 is chock full of loopholes. R2 language states that properly equipped facilities are required only if ‘economically feasible’. R2 “focus materials” include only
some circuit boards, items containing mercury, CRTs and CRT glass (does NOT include phosphors or frit), batteries, and items containing PCBs. Circuit boards without lead but still containing mercury
and batteries are exempted from the definition of toxic materials, and therefore are free to be exported without restriction, despite the international laws restricting this. Except for items containing PCBs, R2
permits shredding and shipment of toxic materials downstream for subsequent separation at “properly licensed” facilities. Toner is not an R2 “focus material”, though a potential carcinogen, and must only be
recycled if “economically feasible.”An R2 recycler can ship co-mingled shredded ewaste containing focus materials (except polychlorinated biphenols) to anyone, anywhere, who will warrant that they are properly licensed under local laws, and able to manage the material properly. It does NOT control practices that converthazardous co-mingled ewaste materials into benign resources, such as preventing open burning of insulatedwire plastic(s) for copper metal recovery, or open burning of
plastics in lieu of proper recycling. R2 is sub-standard as standards go. For serious, thorough, legally, ethically, socially responsible ewaste handling you really need e-Stewards.
GreenGuy55
posted on December 1st, 2010 at 9:17 am
Carol,
I respectfully disagree. e-Stewards is funded by the very recyclers that it purports to audit and certify – a major conflict of interest! Conversely, R2 is administered by an independent third party not-for profit called R2 Solutions:
http://www.r2solutions.org/
The EPA helped develop R2 and is satified that it fully meets the standards of sound environmental practices. e-Stewards on the other hand has historically relied on “pledges” of compliance by its members who were not audited. Now e-Stewards has developed a “pay to play” system of membership. Seems like the fox guarding the henhouse…
GreenGuy55
posted on December 1st, 2010 at 9:22 am
The “Recycling Industry Operating Standard” (“RIOS”) is another third-party certification standard for electronics recycling.
Lauren Roman
posted on December 1st, 2010 at 2:27 pm
All of the above arguments aside, the fact is that the EPA IS NOT MONITORING anyone at all. PERIOD. Completely misleading and erroneous title. The EPA facilitated the R2 process but now supports and recommends both certifications.
And as far as e-Stewards being the fox guarding the hen house, least you forget just who it was that opened the gaping export hole in the R2 standard: The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries. Lots of self-serving hens in that house, I’m afraid.
So, Mr. GreenGuy55, come clean. Might your name begin with a “D” and end with a “g”??
;)