IAER ELECTRONICS RECYCLING NEWSLETTER

FEBRUARY 2008

ELECTRONICS RECYCLING SUMMIT® PROGRAM ANNOUNCED

(See the Industry Events Section)

INDUSTRY NEWS

FEATURE STORIES ON ELECTRONICS RECYCLING

· “The Afterlife of Cellphones”

(New York Times - January 13, 2008)

There was a major article on electronics recycling in the Sunday New York Times Magazine section. Specifically, it provided a fairly comprehensive overview of what happens to used cell phones – globally. The article featured Umicore and Recellular – both active IAER Members. There are vast and increasing quantities of cell phones manufactured, used and disposed of annually. It is estimated that over 1 billion cell phones are sold each year worldwide, which are replaced in 12-18 months on the average, but only a very small percentage are currently recycled. But many are collected, refurbished and “sold to people overseas who can’t afford new ones” because cell phones are much more expensive in the developing world. “If a cell phone gets three or four more lives, it’s absolutely better for the environment than having to make three or four more phones”. For the cell phones that cannot be refurbished for reuse, recycling to recover materials is a significant and growing segment of the industry. Cell phones are “the most valuable form of e-waste”. Although they are small, the volumes are extremely large and they have a significant precious metals content. “Reusing (and recycling) phones conserves natural resources, which reduces the environmental damage that comes with mining”.

· Electronics Recycling in Latin America

(E-Scrap News – January 2008)

As electronics have been growing rapidly in Latin America – particularly cell phones and PCs – the regions “potential to generate substantial waste electrical and electronic equipment has increased dramatically … (and) evidence is growing that the product life of electronic equipment is compressing … (and) the part/repair community is contracting”. Manufacturers have been introducing product take-back programs and governments at the state and federal level have been developing legislation for the collection, recycling and design of electronics – similar to the EU WEEE directives.

· Extended Producer Responsibility

(Reverse Logistics Magazine – January/February 2008)

“Reverse logistics is becoming a strategic issue because returns costs are staggering, materials and energy become scarcer and customers demand green policies … Legislators increasing hold Original Equipment Manufacturers responsible for greening their products and supply chains.” A study revealed that optimizing the supply chain (e.g., closed loop) can have as great or even greater impact on a cradle-to-cradle assessment of environmental impact than recycling (e.g. total carbon footprint).

· Plastics Recycling Challenges

(E-Scrap News – January 2008)

“Plastics recovered from electronic products have historically presented problems for some processors … by examining the composition, end-of-life paths, influence of foreign markets … the current challenges e-plastics processors face can be identified, while predicting where the market is headed”. It has been estimated that plastics make up “nearly 20 percent of the materials in electronic scrap, by weight … (and) approximately 15 billion pounds of plastics were generated from the EOL processing of electronics in 2006”. The reuse of plastics is complicated by mixed resins, flame retardants, colors and contaminants. Although some processors use mechanical techniques, the separation process can be either very labor or capital intensive. Since China has a significant demand for plastics as well as a source for cheap labor, “an increasing amount of material is being shipped … to China”. High oil prices drive up the cost of virgin resins, making recycling attractive.

· Auditing Electronics Recycling Facilities

(Recycling Today – January 2008)

“Although the U.S. still has no federal standards for electronics recycling, generators have made significant strides in their efforts to effectively qualify their electronics recyclers to assure proper management throughout the end-of-life cycle.” Guidelines and criteria developed in a variety of stakeholder efforts have been useful, however, downstream due diligence needs to be verified by “reviewing actual shipping documents and accounting records”

· Donating Used Computers

(Reverse Logistics Magazine – January/February 2008)

“Donating used computer equipment is not as simple as it sounds; there are a number of risks associated with this practice … (including) that they won’t be used as intended … or that sensitive information remaining on them could be compromised … The key to reducing the risks and realizing the rewards is to work with a reputable electronics recycler.”

· Collaborative Research

(E-Scrap News – January 2008)

Partnerships between industry and university research can result in improvements in operational productivity and innovation. In the area of e-scrap recycling, university research represents a significant percentage of the papers published. Examples are cited in advances in CRT processing as well as studies of the recycling infrastructure. “Funding for e-scrap-based research in the U.S. is extremely low, and its future outlook is uncertain.”

ELECTRONICS RECYCLING LEGISLATION

(NCER News Summary and E-Scrap News)

· New Jersey – The governor signed into law the “Electronic Waste Recycling Act”, which is a producer responsibility program.

· Indiana – A House bill “establishes a manufacturer-responsibility program” – including registration and recycling fees.

· New York – Bills in both the Senate and Assembly “establish a similar producer-responsibility system … (as well as) a landfill ban on all covered electronic devices”.

· Virginia – A House bill “establishes a producer-responsibility system … (as well as) “bans the disposal of televisions and component parts”.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS ON ELECTRONICS RECYCLING

· China

(psfk.com – January 21, 2008)

Hong Kong has established a non-profit initiative to collect and recycle electronics. The “Computer Recycling Programme” has the support of the Hong Kong Environmental Protection Department together with “20 local and international computer equipment suppliers”.

OTHER RELATED NEWS

· EPEAT – The Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool program is reaching out to electronics recyclers to provide information on EPEAT to their customers – including OEMs. The requirements for manufacturers to achieve EPEAT registration include providing “a take-back and recycling program for the product … (as well as additional criteria) that they or their contractor conduct third tier down-stream vendor audits on the recyclers involved in their take-back program”.

· EPA – The U.S. EPA posted online three podcasts about its “Plug-In to eCycling” program:

o “Greener Computers: A Look at Energy Efficiency and Recycling”

o “Cell Phone Recycling”

o “Consumer Electronics: Trends in Recycling”

The podcasts can be found at the website: http://www.epa.gov/cellphone/newspods.htm

· CES Panel – A session at the recent International Consumer Electronics Show addressed the implications and trends of “where consumer electronics go when they die … Refurbishing PCs is one option, but it raises data security questions.” Increasing demand for commodities (especially metals) and the high price of oil (used to make plastics) have made recycling electronics products more attractive. Manufacturers “touted their own corporate take-back and recycling programs, as well as some cross-industry

INDUSTRY EVENTS

ELECTRONICS RECYCLING SUMMIT® - 2008

PROGRAM ANNOUNCED

The IAER and ISRI will co-sponsor the 2008 SUMMIT event to be held in conjunction with the ISRI annual convention – April 6-10, 2008 in Las Vegas, NV.

The program for this year’s Electronics Recycling SUMMIT® will be bigger and better than ever, so don’t miss it. The program includes all the key elements of past SUMMIT events and more - as follows:

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 9

· IERI SHORT COURSES (optional registration/limited seating)

– organized by the International Electronics Recyclers Institute/IERI

– two of the most popular and successful IERI courses:

§ Downstream Due Diligence & Risk Management

§ Electronics Specialty Materials: Recycling & Disposal

· ISRI Plenary Session:

§ Thought Leadership: Sustainability: Recycling's Place in a Carbon Economy [JP1]

· Electronics Recycling Collaboration Network/ERCN – Luncheon Meeting

· SUMMIT SESSION I - Strengthening the Infrastructure for Electronics Recycling – Opportunities for Collaboration

· SUMMIT SESSION II - State of the Art in Technology for Scrap Electronics Processing & Material Recovery

· Electronics Recycling Networking Reception

THURSDAY, APRIL 10

· Joint ISRI/IAER Electronics Recycling - Breakfast Meeting

· SUMMIT SESSION III - Electronics Recycling Value Added Services

· SUMMIT SESSION IV - Future Market Drivers for Electronics Recycling

· SUMMIT SESSION V - “Great Exportation” – challenges & opportunities

· SUMMIT SESSION VI - States Electronics Recycling Programs

- in addition to the world’s largest trade show and conference on recycling!

Watch here for further details

REGISTER NOW - The early registration cut-off date is February 12.

IAER Members can register at the ISRI Member Rate

Go to the ISRI Convention website to register at: http://www.isriconvention.org/2008/

Highlights of 2007 Electronics Recycling SUMMIT® - including the complete program, copies of the SUMMIT presentations and a photo gallery can be found on the IAER website at:

http://www.iaer.org/summit/summit/Summit2007c.htm

INDUSTRY CALENDAR

The IAER Calendar of Industry Events has been completely updated for 2008. The Industry Calendar is posted on the IAER website at: http://www.iaer.org/communications/indcal.htm

IAER NEWS

IAER CERTIFICATION PROGRAM

During the Electronics Recycling SUMMIT®, the IAER announced a new release of the IAER Certification Program. The IAER Standards & Certification Committee completed a year-long effort of revising the IAER Certification Standard and supporting documents involved in the IAER certification process. The revisions focused on expanding, strengthening and re-organizing requirements to be consistent with all the key elements of the EPA’s draft “Best Management Practices for Electronics Recycling” (BMPs) – particularly in areas such as control of materials of concern, downstream due diligence and risk management, tracking records, reuse and refurbishment.

Click here for more information on Release 2.1 – including the News Release and revised IAER Certification Standard.

Many companies are now taking advantage of IAER Certification – and the cost efficient process that was introduced last year.

The latest facility to successfully complete IAER Certification is: UNICOR-Tucson, AZ

If your company is not sure about pursuing IAER Certification, visit the web page on: “The Benefits of being a Certified Electronics Recycler®”.

To recognize those that have achieved IAER certification, a webpage has been established that provides access to the public to all current Certified Electronics Recyclers.

IAER ELECTRONICS RECYCLING INDUSTRY REPORT

The IAER partnered with Resource Recycling/E-Scrap News to publish a 2006 update to the Electronics Recycling Industry Report®. It includes surveys of the electronics recycling industry in the U.S. as well as comprehensive new research on the trends and developments that drive the industry. This report contains information that is essential for anyone involved or interested in the electronics recycling industry – with even more data and illustrations than the original 2003 Report. For more information and to order the Report, go to the web page at:

http://www.iaer.org/communications/indreport.htm

Updates to the Industry Report were presented at the last SUMMIT and have been posted on the SUMMIT 2007 webpage.

COMPANY ANNOUNCEMENTS

(From News Releases, Recycling Today, and E-Scrap News)

Recyclers

· WeRecycle! (IAER Member) – announced “that its Meriden, CT processing facility has been certified by the National Association for Information Destruction (NAID) for mobile computer hard drive destruction”.

Other Companies and Organizations

· Manufacturers Recycling Management Company – Panasonic, Sharp and Toshiba “have formed a company to help manage the wave of electronics waste set to swell with the onset of digital television”.

· Xstrata – announced “plans to double electronic scrap recycling capacity at the Horne Smelter in Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec”.

· Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation – announced that “more than 6.3 million pounds of rechargeable batteries were collected last year in the U.S. and Canada”.

	IAER ELECTRONICS RECYCLING NEWSLETTER FEBRUARY 2008 ELECTRONICS RECYCLING SUMMIT® PROGRAM ANNOUNCED (See the Industry Events Section) INDUSTRY NEWS FEATURE STORIES ON ELECTRONICS RECYCLING · “The Afterlife of Cellphones” (New York Times - January 13, 2008) There was a major article on electronics recycling in the Sunday New York Times Magazine section. Specifically, it provided a fairly comprehensive overview of what happens to used cell phones – globally. The article featured Umicore and Recellular – both active IAER Members. There are vast and increasing quantities of cell phones manufactured, used and disposed of annually. It is estimated that over 1 billion cell phones are sold each year worldwide, which are replaced in 12-18 months on the average, but only a very small percentage are currently recycled. But many are collected, refurbished and “sold to people overseas who can’t afford new ones” because cell phones are much more expensive in the developing world. “If a cell phone gets three or four more lives, it’s absolutely better for the environment than having to make three or four more phones”. For the cell phones that cannot be refurbished for reuse, recycling to recover materials is a significant and growing segment of the industry. Cell phones are “the most valuable form of e-waste”. Although they are small, the volumes are extremely large and they have a significant precious metals content. “Reusing (and recycling) phones conserves natural resources, which reduces the environmental damage that comes with mining”. · Electronics Recycling in Latin America (E-Scrap News – January 2008) As electronics have been growing rapidly in Latin America – particularly cell phones and PCs – the regions “potential to generate substantial waste electrical and electronic equipment has increased dramatically … (and) evidence is growing that the product life of electronic equipment is compressing … (and) the part/repair community is contracting”. Manufacturers have been introducing product take-back programs and governments at the state and federal level have been developing legislation for the collection, recycling and design of electronics – similar to the EU WEEE directives. · Extended Producer Responsibility (Reverse Logistics Magazine – January/February 2008) “Reverse logistics is becoming a strategic issue because returns costs are staggering, materials and energy become scarcer and customers demand green policies … Legislators increasing hold Original Equipment Manufacturers responsible for greening their products and supply chains.” A study revealed that optimizing the supply chain (e.g., closed loop) can have as great or even greater impact on a cradle-to-cradle assessment of environmental impact than recycling (e.g. total carbon footprint). · Plastics Recycling Challenges (E-Scrap News – January 2008) “Plastics recovered from electronic products have historically presented problems for some processors … by examining the composition, end-of-life paths, influence of foreign markets … the current challenges e-plastics processors face can be identified, while predicting where the market is headed”. It has been estimated that plastics make up “nearly 20 percent of the materials in electronic scrap, by weight … (and) approximately 15 billion pounds of plastics were generated from the EOL processing of electronics in 2006”. The reuse of plastics is complicated by mixed resins, flame retardants, colors and contaminants. Although some processors use mechanical techniques, the separation process can be either very labor or capital intensive. Since China has a significant demand for plastics as well as a source for cheap labor, “an increasing amount of material is being shipped … to China”. High oil prices drive up the cost of virgin resins, making recycling attractive. · Auditing Electronics Recycling Facilities (Recycling Today – January 2008) “Although the U.S. still has no federal standards for electronics recycling, generators have made significant strides in their efforts to effectively qualify their electronics recyclers to assure proper management throughout the end-of-life cycle.” Guidelines and criteria developed in a variety of stakeholder efforts have been useful, however, downstream due diligence needs to be verified by “reviewing actual shipping documents and accounting records” · Donating Used Computers (Reverse Logistics Magazine – January/February 2008) “Donating used computer equipment is not as simple as it sounds; there are a number of risks associated with this practice … (including) that they won’t be used as intended … or that sensitive information remaining on them could be compromised … The key to reducing the risks and realizing the rewards is to work with a reputable electronics recycler.” · Collaborative Research (E-Scrap News – January 2008) Partnerships between industry and university research can result in improvements in operational productivity and innovation. In the area of e-scrap recycling, university research represents a significant percentage of the papers published. Examples are cited in advances in CRT processing as well as studies of the recycling infrastructure. “Funding for e-scrap-based research in the U.S. is extremely low, and its future outlook is uncertain.” ELECTRONICS RECYCLING LEGISLATION (NCER News Summary and E-Scrap News) · New Jersey – The governor signed into law the “Electronic Waste Recycling Act”, which is a producer responsibility program. · Indiana – A House bill “establishes a manufacturer-responsibility program” – including registration and recycling fees. · New York – Bills in both the Senate and Assembly “establish a similar producer-responsibility system … (as well as) a landfill ban on all covered electronic devices”. · Virginia – A House bill “establishes a producer-responsibility system … (as well as) “bans the disposal of televisions and component parts”. INTERNATIONAL NEWS ON ELECTRONICS RECYCLING · China (psfk.com – January 21, 2008) Hong Kong has established a non-profit initiative to collect and recycle electronics. The “Computer Recycling Programme” has the support of the Hong Kong Environmental Protection Department together with “20 local and international computer equipment suppliers”. OTHER RELATED NEWS · EPEAT – The Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool program is reaching out to electronics recyclers to provide information on EPEAT to their customers – including OEMs. The requirements for manufacturers to achieve EPEAT registration include providing “a take-back and recycling program for the product … (as well as additional criteria) that they or their contractor conduct third tier down-stream vendor audits on the recyclers involved in their take-back program”. · EPA – The U.S. EPA posted online three podcasts about its “Plug-In to eCycling” program: o “Greener Computers: A Look at Energy Efficiency and Recycling” o “Cell Phone Recycling” o “Consumer Electronics: Trends in Recycling” The podcasts can be found at the website: http://www.epa.gov/cellphone/newspods.htm · CES Panel – A session at the recent International Consumer Electronics Show addressed the implications and trends of “where consumer electronics go when they die … Refurbishing PCs is one option, but it raises data security questions.” Increasing demand for commodities (especially metals) and the high price of oil (used to make plastics) have made recycling electronics products more attractive. Manufacturers “touted their own corporate take-back and recycling programs, as well as some cross-industry INDUSTRY EVENTS ELECTRONICS RECYCLING SUMMIT® - 2008 *PROGRAM ANNOUNCED* The IAER and ISRI will co-sponsor the 2008 SUMMIT event to be held in conjunction with the ISRI annual convention – April 6-10, 2008 in Las Vegas, NV. The program for this year’s Electronics Recycling SUMMIT® will be bigger and better than ever, so don’t miss it. The program includes all the key elements of past SUMMIT events and more - as follows: WEDNESDAY, APRIL 9 · IERI SHORT COURSES (optional registration/limited seating) – organized by the International Electronics Recyclers Institute/IERI – two of the most popular and successful IERI courses: § Downstream Due Diligence & Risk Management § Electronics Specialty Materials: Recycling & Disposal · ISRI Plenary Session: § Thought Leadership: Sustainability: Recycling's Place in a Carbon Economy [JP1] · Electronics Recycling Collaboration Network/ERCN – Luncheon Meeting · SUMMIT SESSION I - Strengthening the Infrastructure for Electronics Recycling – Opportunities for Collaboration · SUMMIT SESSION II - State of the Art in Technology for Scrap Electronics Processing & Material Recovery · Electronics Recycling Networking Reception THURSDAY, APRIL 10 · Joint ISRI/IAER Electronics Recycling - Breakfast Meeting · SUMMIT SESSION III - Electronics Recycling Value Added Services · SUMMIT SESSION IV - Future Market Drivers for Electronics Recycling · SUMMIT SESSION V - “Great Exportation” – challenges & opportunities · SUMMIT SESSION VI - States Electronics Recycling Programs - in addition to the world’s largest trade show and conference on recycling! Watch here for further details *REGISTER NOW -* The early registration cut-off date is February 12. *IAER Members can register at the ISRI Member Rate* Go to the ISRI Convention website to register at: http://www.isriconvention.org/2008/ Highlights of 2007 Electronics Recycling SUMMIT® - including the complete program, copies of the SUMMIT presentations and a photo gallery can be found on the IAER website at: http://www.iaer.org/summit/summit/Summit2007c.htm INDUSTRY CALENDAR The IAER Calendar of Industry Events has been completely updated for 2008. The Industry Calendar is posted on the IAER website at: http://www.iaer.org/communications/indcal.htm IAER NEWS IAER CERTIFICATION PROGRAM During the Electronics Recycling SUMMIT®, the IAER announced a new release of the IAER Certification Program. The IAER Standards & Certification Committee completed a year-long effort of revising the IAER Certification Standard and supporting documents involved in the IAER certification process. The revisions focused on expanding, strengthening and re-organizing requirements to be consistent with all the key elements of the EPA’s draft “Best Management Practices for Electronics Recycling” (BMPs) – particularly in areas such as control of materials of concern, downstream due diligence and risk management, tracking records, reuse and refurbishment. Click here for more information on Release 2.1 – including the News Release and revised IAER Certification Standard. Many companies are now taking advantage of IAER Certification – and the cost efficient process that was introduced last year. *The latest facility to successfully complete IAER Certification is: UNICOR-Tucson, AZ* *If your company is not sure about pursuing IAER Certification, visit the web page on: “The Benefits of being a Certified Electronics Recycler®”. To recognize those that have achieved IAER certification, a webpage has been established that provides access to the public to all current Certified Electronics Recyclers. IAER ELECTRONICS RECYCLING INDUSTRY REPORT* The IAER partnered with Resource Recycling/E-Scrap News to publish a 2006 update to the Electronics Recycling Industry Report®. It includes surveys of the electronics recycling industry in the U.S. as well as comprehensive new research on the trends and developments that drive the industry. This report contains information that is essential for anyone involved or interested in the electronics recycling industry – with even more data and illustrations than the original 2003 Report. For more information and to order the Report, go to the web page at: http://www.iaer.org/communications/indreport.htm Updates to the Industry Report were presented at the last SUMMIT and have been posted on the SUMMIT 2007 webpage. COMPANY ANNOUNCEMENTS (From News Releases, Recycling Today, and E-Scrap News) Recyclers · WeRecycle! (IAER Member) – announced “that its Meriden, CT processing facility has been certified by the National Association for Information Destruction (NAID) for mobile computer hard drive destruction”. Other Companies and Organizations · Manufacturers Recycling Management Company – Panasonic, Sharp and Toshiba “have formed a company to help manage the wave of electronics waste set to swell with the onset of digital television”. · Xstrata – announced “plans to double electronic scrap recycling capacity at the Horne Smelter in Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec”. · Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation – announced that “more than 6.3 million pounds of rechargeable batteries were collected last year in the U.S. and Canada”. Return to the main page