ISRI endorses Electronic Device Recycling Research Act

March 26 -- The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries has endorsed House Resolution 1580, also known as the Electronic Device Recycling Research and Development Act.

The House Committee on Science and Technology has agreed to send the bill forward for consideration by the full House.

The bill would authorize the Environmental Protection Agency to award grants for electronic device recycling research, development, and demonstration projects, and for other purposes.

In a letter to Committee Chairman Bart Gordon , D-Tenn., ISRI expressed its support for the measure as amended by the committee.

ISRI is the national trade association that represents 1,500 companies which process, broker, and consume scrap commodities, including electronics, paper, metals, plastics, glass, rubber, and textiles.

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Source: Waste & Recycling News, March 26th, 2009

China Enacts E-Scrap Law

Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao signed into law the "Recycling Waste Electrical and Electronic Products Ordinance," being compared by some to the European Union's WEEE Directive.

The new law, based on draft legislation released last summer, appears to cover (here is a Google translation for a FAQ for the law) most electronic and electrical equipment from TVs to air conditioners, though it does not offer a full list of covered devices.

The ordinance also surprisingly acknowledges the country's infamous workshops, noting the environmental damage done by the open burning and acid baths used in metals recovery at the workshops. Further, it reportedly bans any such demanufacturing methods.

A special fund — the National Electronics Discarded Electrical Products Treatment Fund — is set up to pay for the regulation of the end-of-life electronic and electrical goods, to be financed by fees levied on manufacturers and importers of electronic goods. Sellers of consumer electronics appear to be on the hook to provide drop-off locations.

The ordinance will come into effect January 1, 2011.

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Source: E-Scrap News, March 12, 2009

Problem with Old Technology?

Raident Technology Introduces New Mobile Electronics Shredding System

Fremont, CA, February 28, 2009 --(PR.com)-- Many companies today are very concerned with information security. They are facing issues of unauthorized access, use, disclosure, or disruption of private information. The only way to protect information is to securely destroy the data.

Account Manager Aisha Wahab stated that “Raident Technology has invested into technology to protect each client’s proprietary information. Per clients’ request it can implement 100% secure destruction of material that contains important data.” Wahab continued to explain that this is a beneficial service that Raident can provide to each client.

With an economic down-turn due to higher unemployment there is more criminal enterprise. Raident doesn’t want its clients to lose consumer confidence and/or sales, damage their reputation and have civil lawsuits and fines. Hard drives, tape drives, cassettes, CDs and other sources of information are the number one sources of information that should be destroyed to prevent unauthorized use of private information. Victor Diaz stated that “with a larger mobile shredder in addition to those that we already have, we are able to destroy whole computers and other material in the most secure way possible.”

Protecting Raident’s customers from leaks of secure information, Raident Technology has bought a mid-size mobile shredder. The shredder is big enough to destroy all electronic components (i.e. hard drives, boards, CPUs, etc.), tape drives, modems, cassettes, CDs, documents and more. For even more security Raident is able to do it on the clients’ sites so they could see items being shredded for themselves.

About Raident Technology, Inc.:
From its corporate headquarters in Silicon Valley, Raident Technology was founded to deliver value-added asset management, asset recovery, and electronic e-Waste recycling solutions. Raident is on a fast-track growth strategy to expand its processing capacity, by both organic means and acquisitions, and to establish a leading position in the global market. It is a member of key industry groups and is committed to protecting the environment while providing high-quality, customer-specific services. In a fragmented market crowded with small, unsophisticated operations, Raident remains a trusted and respected resource.

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Contact Information
Raident Technology, Inc.
Natalia Kleschevnikova
(510) 656-3622 x 109
natalia@raident.com
www.raident.com
www.raident.blogspot.com

Raident Technology, Inc. Will Go Through an ISO Audit in April of 2009

Raident Technology, Inc. has recently announced a scheduled ISO 9001 and 14001 certification audit for April of 2009.

Fremont, CA, February 27, 2009 --(PR.com)-- ISO stands for the International Organization for Standardization. ISO 9001 is the Quality Management System (QMS) Standard and ISO 14001 is the Environmental Management System (EMS) Standard. By being compliant with these ISO standards, Raident Technology will differentiate itself from the rest of the asset recovery companies. Raident’s compliance will assure clients of an effective QMS and EMS that will exceed their requirements in the areas of environment and quality.

Natalia Kleschevnikova, Raident’s ISO Manager, stated “that Raident always has and will continue to improve its standards of compliance in order to be the best full service vendor for its clients.”

Enforced QMS standards will greatly improve Raident’s operations, performance and even profitability, while stricter EMS standards will identify and control the environmental impact of Raident’s activities and will continually improve its environmental performance. By following these two standards Raident Technology will be setting quality and environmental objectives and targets that will promote continuous improvement.

President and CEO of Raident Technology, Albert Lozano, acknowledged “the hard work everyone at Raident has put in to make the ISO certification possible really shows the level of commitment that everyone at Raident has” and continues to say that Raident is hopeful that the ISO audit goes well.

About Raident Technology, Inc.:
From its corporate headquarters in Silicon Valley, Raident Technology was founded to deliver value-added asset management, asset recovery, and electronic e-Waste recycling solutions. Raident is on a fast-track growth strategy to expand its processing capacity, by both organic means and acquisitions, and to establish a leading position in the global market. It is a member of key industry groups and is committed to protecting the environment while providing high-quality, customer-specific services. In a fragmented market crowded with small, unsophisticated operations, Raident remains a trusted and respected resource.

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Contact Information:
Raident Technology, Inc.
Natalia Kleschevnikova
(510) 656-3622 x 109
natalia@raident.com
www.raident.com
www.raident.blogspot.com

EPA to Decide Who Must Provide Assurances in Cleanups

Feb. 27 -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency must begin the process of determining which industries and facilities must provide financial assurances to cleanup potentially hazardous sites.

The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California in San Francisco denied the EPA´s summary judgment motion to dismiss the plaintiffs´ case, which calls on the EPA to require financial assurances under the Superfund program from companies whose sites are the most environmentally harmful.

Environmental law firm Earthjustice is suing the agency on behalf of the Sierra Club and several other groups. They claim the EPA has shirked its duty to promulgate and implement financial assurance.

Section 108(b) of the federal Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act required the federal government to identify classes of facilities, owners and operators for which it would first develop financial requirements, based on the highest risk of harm, no later than three years after Dec. 11, 1980.

The federal government has yet to do so. The court ordered the EPA to publish a notice of the classes in the Federal Registry. It will then look into whether the EPA is required to promulgate and implement financial assurance.

"Instead, the court will hold these issues in abeyance pending EPA´s publication of notice of classes as the court believes this will shed light on the merits of the other challenged duties under Section 108(b)," District Court Judge William Alsup said in his decision.

Conversely, the court also granted the U.S. Department of Transportation and its interveners their request for summary judgment. It ruled the plaintiffs failed to establish that they suffered injury traceable to the DOT´s action or inaction, and the department is not responsible for implementing financial assurances.

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Source: Waste & Recycling News, Feb. 27th, 2009

President Obama Nominates Attorney as EPA Deputy Administrator

Feb. 25 -- President Obama has nominated an attorney and professor of environmental law to be the new deputy administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.

Jon Cannon, director of the Environmental and Land Use Law Program at the University of Virginia, would serve in the No. 2 spot at the EPA under Lisa Jackson, the new administrator. Cannon worked in numerous positions at the EPA during the Reagan, George H.W. Bush and Clinton administrations. He eventually rose to serve as the EPA´s general counsel, but previously worked on legal issues involving civil enforcement, solid waste and emergency response.

Cannon earned his law degree from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, and received a bachelor´s degree from Williams College in Williamstown, Mass.

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Source: Waste & Recycling News, Feb. 25, 2009

TV Sales vs. DTV Transition

According to industry analysts, the fourth quarter of 2008 saw global TV shipments drop and 2009 may bring the first decline in PC sales since 2001.

Global shipments of televisions dropped 5% in the last quarter of 2008, the first year-over-year decline in over two years, according to market research firm DisplaySearch. Shipments of televisions during the fourth quarter, at 57.7 million, dropped from more than 60 million shipped during the same period in 2007.
Research firm IDC expects the current recession will continue to adversely affect the PC market as well. IDC's Loren Loverde said that the firm's most recent forecast for 2009 — four-percent growth — will likely not be met. "As things sink in, it could easily be in negative territory," said Loverde.

Further news on the ongoing saga of the conversion to over-the-air digital television transmission. Though a sizable backlog still exists for DTV converter box coupons, the National telecommunications Information Administration said it can clear the four-million-strong waiting list in the next two to three weeks. The recently-passed $789 billion federal stimulus package contained monies to restart the DTV box coupons, enabling the NTIA to ramp up sending them out to consumers.

Meanwhile, the much-ballyhooed TV "tsunami" has yet to reach its predicted point break, there are reports of analog TVs hitting the secondary market with increasing regularity. More than 400 of the approximately 1,800 broadcast television stations nationwide already have made the conversion. With that, the Federal Communications Commission has also mandated that at least one of the top four network affiliates — ABC, CBS, NBC or FOX — broadcast in analog in each market until the new June 12th DTV cutoff date.

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Source: E-Scrap News, Feb. 20, 2009

Stiumulus Plan Includes $7.22B for EPA Programs

Feb. 20 - The $787 billion economic recovery plan signed by President Obama Feb. 17 includes $7.22 billion for projects and programs administered by the EPA.

The Obama administration estimates the entire package will create 3 million to 4 million jobs with many protecting public health and the environment.

"Through the president´s stimulus package, green initiatives will play a significant role in powering economic recovery," EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson said.

The stimulus bill includes funding for the following EPA-administered programs:

-- The Clean Water State Revolving Fund and Drinking Water State Revolving Fund will receive $4 billion to help communities with water quality and wastewater infrastructure needs and $2 billion for drinking water infrastructure needs.

-- The Brownfields program will receive $100 million for competitive grants to evaluate and clean up former industrial and commercial sites

-- Diesel emissions reduction efforts will receive $300 million for grants and loans to help regional, state and local governments, tribal agencies, and non-profit organizations with projects that reduce diesel emissions

-- The Superfund hazardous waste cleanup program gets $600 million

-- The Leaking Underground Storage Tank program gets $200 million for the cleanup of petroleum leaks.

The EPA intends to move designated funds to the states as quickly as possible, according to the agency. All funding will be monitored by the EPA Inspector General´s Office, which will receive $20 million for oversight and review.

The EPA will post announcements of grants on the Web to ensure transparency. The state-by-state distributions for clean water and drinking water state revolving funds will also be available on the Web at www.epa.gov/recovery.

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Source: "Waste & Recycling News", Feb. 20th, 2009

PWB Value Makes Small Step Up in January

The gross value of printed wiring board scrap in January 2009 was $3.68 per pound, up 5.6 percent over December 2008 numbers. The PWB value was down 16.7 percent from the same period a year ago.
This data represents the full metallic values of boards over time and are not the recycling values, as those values do not include the costs involved in actually extracting metal from boards, including freight, sampling charges, assay assessments, smelting, refining, process loss, return on investment, and penalties for various elements, including beryllium, bismuth and nickel.

These values are for the estimated intrinsic metal content of recovered PC boards. Some consumers label such material as mid-value. Lower-value scrap includes monitor and television boards. Higher-value scrap includes network and video cards, and motherboards.

The average value of board scrap for all of 2008 was $4.31 per pound, up 16.5 percent from 2007, though the increase can be misleading, as prices collapsed in the second half of 2008.

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Source: E-Scrap News, Feb. 13th, 2009

EPA Challenges to Recycle More TVs

Feb. 13 -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is challenging retailers and television makers to collect and recycle more TVs.

The challenge is part of the agency´s Plug-In to eCycling program and will run through August. Manufacturers and retailers can enter their recovery programs and the EPA will evaluate them and recognize the most innovative and effective initiative.

Americans discarded nearly 27 million televisions in 2007 and had an additional 99 million sitting around in places like closets, basements and garages, according to the EPA. More information about the challenge is available at www.epa.gov/epawaste/conserve/materials/ecycling/tv-challenge.htm.

DTV Transition Day Moved

Citing opposition from Republicans, the U.S. House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee canceled its Wednesday meeting to consider legislation to delay the digital television (DTV) transmission deadline. The bill in question extends the transition date from February 17th to June 12th.

In a brief statement about the vote cancellation, committee chair Henry Waxman (D-California) again stated date-change advocates' position. "The transition to digital television is not going well. There is not enough money for the converter box coupon program and millions of Americans could experience serious problems," said Waxman. "Delay of the deadline is our only hope of lessening the impact on millions of consumers. Without a short, one-time extension, millions of households will lose all television reception."

One of the bill's opponents, Senator John McCain (R-Ariz.), claims that he would accept a short delay, only if the legislation allowed public safety organizations to access the analog TV spectrum per the original transition date's plans.

According to a recent Digital Tech Consulting report, there are enough DTV converters available for the estimated number of people that need them.

"We believe there is ample supply of nearly nine million boxes in retail warehouses and store shelves ready for an onslaught of last-minute buyers," said Myra Moore, project manager for DTC.

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Source: E-Scrap News, January 23rd, 2009.

ISRI Acquires Assets of IAER

Jan. 15 -- The Institute of Recycling Industries has acquired the assets of the International Association of Electronics Recyclers.

The merge will unify the electronics recycling industry and strengthen ISRI´s new Electronics Division, said Robin Wiener, ISRI president.

The groups will unite their lobbying efforts in Congress, which will be more effective, she said. Their educational and training programs also will become more robust and valuable.

All IAER members who qualify for ISRI membership will receive it. Those that don´t, such as nonprofit groups, will receive a refund of the remaining portion of their IAER membership. As a welcome gesture, IAER members will join ISRI at their IAER dues levels through the middle of this year.

The IAER Electronics Recycling Summit will be held in conjunction with ISRI´s annual convention, which will be held, April 26-30, in Las Vegas. IAER´s Web site content will be transferred to ISRI´s site.

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Source: Waste and Recycling News, Jan. 15

Raident Technology Launches a New E-Waste News Blog

Raident Technology, Inc. has officially launched their eWaste News blog at http://raident.blogspot.com. The Raident eWaste blog is updated frequently with the latest industry news regarding current laws, regulations and events.

Fremont, CA, January 11, 2009 --(PR.com)-- Raident Technology has consistently improved their communication with the public as well as their asset recovery and electronic waste solutions. The main goal for the blog is “to keep the public as well as our OEM clients informed about the changes around the world regarding laws and news on electronic waste” stated Aisha Wahab, an Account Manager at Raident. Raident “prides itself on being a step ahead and well prepared for any changes in our industry” Miss Wahab added.

Overall, this is a blog that allows people to read the latest news, leave comments and share the news they read through e-mail. Natalia Kleschevnikova stated that Raident “is excited about sharing their knowledge with the world and the blog allows us to do just that. So come and follow our blog.”

About Raident Technology, Inc.
From its corporate headquarters in Silicon Valley, Raident Technology was founded to deliver value-added asset management, asset recovery and electronic eWaste recycling solutions. Raident is on a fast-track growth strategy to expand its processing capacity, by both organic means and acquisitions, and to establish a leading position in the global market. It is a member of key industry groups and committed to protecting the environment while providing high-quality, customer specific services. In a fragmented market crowded with small, unsophisticated operations, Raident remains a trusted and respected resource.

###
Contact Information
Raident Technology, Inc.
Natalia Kleschevnikova
(510) 656-3622 x 109
natalia@raident.com
www.raident.com
www.raident.blogspot.com

Metal Market Continues to Weaken

E-scrap processors can expect continued weakness in demand and pricing for metals and metal-containing scrap recovered from obsolete electronics.

Copper is a perfect example. Buyers of copper cathode saw prices fall from a high of nearly $4 per pound last spring to about $1.50 per pound by the end of 2008. Prices in December 2008, alone, dropped 20 percent to the lowest level in more than four years. Market players cite weak global demand and high inventories as the causes of the price swoon.
The picture is expected to remain ugly for the coming months. For instance, prices of futures contracts on the London Metal Exchange show no improvement over today's price.

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Source: E-Scrap News, Jan. 9, 2009

EU's Proposed WEEE Revisions Signal eWaste Crackdown

Potential toughening of EU eWaste could impose minimum recycling targets on IT manufacturers and force them to crank up take back schemes.

The European Commission today issued proposed revisions to the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive, which would significantly toughen the much criticized legislation by imposing recycling targets on IT and electrical equipment manufacturers and making them financially responsible for household collection of eWaste.

The regulations came into force in the UK in January 2007 after the EU directive was passed in 2003 with the intention of imposing the polluter pays principle on manufacturers by making them financially responsible for the recycling and safe disposal of IT and electrical equipment.

However, the legislation has been widely criticized by green groups as being largely unworkable, with manufacturers accused of failing to adequately publicize eWaste take back schemes, waste management criticized for illegally exporting old computers to scrap yards in the developing world and regulators slammed for failing to enforce the legislation.

The European Commission has now also expressed concern that the legislation is not proving effective and claims that only around a third of electrical waste is being treated in accordance with the law.

The EU estimates that 54 per cent of eWaste produced across the Union is shipped to sub-standard treatment facilities inside or outside the EU, while the remaining 13 per cent goes to landfill. It also claims that the illegal shipping of eWaste for handling in non-EU countries remains widespread.

The proposed strengthening of the directive would give Member States greater powers of inspection and monitoring, and tighten registration and reporting requirements for producers as well as "encouraging" them to be financially responsible – most likely through a more stringent regime of fines for those firms that creach the new rules.

A recycling target has also been proposed that would require manufacturers to collect annually 65 per cent of the average weight of products placed on the market in the two preceding years.

The proposals have attracted criticism from EICTA, the lobby group representing the information and communications technology and consumer electronics industries in the European Union, which claims that producers would not be able to meet the targets.

"The latest proposal defines a set of unrealistic and unreachable targets because it does not take into account the fact that a market for recyclables already exists," said Mark MacGann, Director General of EICTA. "The Commission has seriously underestimated the volume of electrical and electronic waste collected and recycled by non-producer organizations."

According to research published recently by a Dutch group of eWaste recycling firms, current waste collection targets are being exceeded in most EU countries. It claims that while 80 per cent of the electrical and electronic waste has been effectively collected and recycled, the majority of the collected waste has been recycled outside of the official producer-funded WEEE systems.

"There are large flows of electronic waste outside of the producer-funded WEEE system because of simple economic laws of supply and demand," said MacGann. "There is value in recyclable material. When recycled materials prices are competitive, it will be virtually impossible for producers to get hold of enough waste to meet the proposed collection targets."

However, the EU maintains that it is this waste outside the regulated WEEE system that is most likely to end up in landfill sites or being handled in scrap yards in Asia and Africa where poor safety and environmental standards frequently result in damage to workers health and local water supplies.

The proposals were welcomed by green groups such as IT re-use charity Computer Aid International, which has been campaigning for a crackdown on exports of broken IT and electrical equipment to developing economies.

However, Louise Richards, chief executive at Computer Aid International, said that the proposed changes did not go far enough, arguing that more should be done to promote IT re-use over and above recycling.

"The renewed emphasis on recycling targets is a reassuring move, however we question why there is still no specific target in place for re-use alone," she said. "It is our hope that in the future the directive will ensure that 100% of functioning whole appliances are re-used, particularly in the case of PCs and laptops. It's essential that we maximize the energy already expended during the production process, which takes up 75 per cent of a PC’s lifecycle energy before the equipment is even turned on for the first time."

She also argued that the success of any attempt to crack down on illegal waste export would rest on individual member states willingness to properly police the legislation.

"Whilst the proposed changes to the WEEE directive seek to better control equipment leaving the EU, individual governments could still fail to equip their Environment Agencies and equivalents with the appropriate resources to do so effectively," she warned, adding that the charity was currently running a petition on the No 10 website calling for an increase in resources to support the Environment Agency's attempts to police the legislation.

The proposed revisions to the WEEE directive are now open for consultation ahead of an eventual vote on the changes in the European Parliament.

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Source: BusinessGreen, Dec. 4, 2008 (http://www.vnunet.com/business-green/news/2231983proposed-weee-revisions-squeeze).

Waste Board Raises Electronic Waste Recycling Fee Starting January 1, 2009

Effective January 1, 2009, the Electronic Waste Recycling (Ewaste) Fee will increase for all covered electronic devices (CEDs).

The new fees are as follows:
SCREEN SIZE - MEASURED DIAGONALLY FEE
-More than 4 inches, less than 15 inches $ 8.00.
-15 inches or more, less than 35 inches $ 16.00.
-35 inches or more $ 25.00.

The California Integrated Waste Management Board (CIWMB) approved an increase in the Ewaste fees at their June 17, 2008 board meeting. The Board of Equalization (BOE) is responsible for collection of the Ewaste fees.

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Source: State Board of Equalization

NSWMA Like Obama´s Choices for EPA

Dec. 12 -- A trade group representing the solid waste management industry is pleased with President-elect Barack Obama´s choices of Lisa Jackson to lead the federal Environmental Protection Agency and Steven Chu as energy secretary.

"Like most of Mr. Obama´s other nominees, the people chosen to head these important agencies have extensive knowledge and experience of the challenges this country faces, and we look forward to working closely with them," said Bruce Parker, president and CEO of the National Solid Wastes Management Association.

"We have great confidence in the selection of Lisa Jackson to EPA administrator, and we look forward to working with her to achieve our nation´s environmental goals," Parker said.

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Source: WasteNews.com Dec. 12, 2008

Raident Technology Announces New Director of International Sales to Manage Sales Growth and Expansion

Raident Technology, Inc. has recently appointed Nong Chen as Raident’s Director of International Sales. His goal is to increase Raident’s current presence and sales worldwide, with special attention to expanding in the Asian market.

Fremont, CA, December 10, 2008 --(PR.com)-- Prior to joining Raident’s team of experts Nong Chen was the sole business owner of Long Cheng Trading and Recycling Company. Chen brings with him over a decade of experience and he stated that he is “delighted to be appointed to this new and exciting role at Raident Technology.” Chen sees the potential of the international markets and foresees that “Asian market will be one of the fast growing sales channels for Raident Technology.”

With growth in mind, Pyeng Jin Kim, the Director of Business Development for Raident Technolgy, created this unique position. Kim stated that with Chen’s appointment to the Executive Team “Raident will grow internationally as well as allow diversify its services, with an experienced international sales leader overseeing everything.”

Overall, Raident Technology, Inc. plans not only to increase its presence in the Asian market, but also to attract new sales channels worldwide. Raident Technology, Inc. believes that Nong Chen will be the greatest asset in getting this accomplished.

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Contact Information

Raident Technology, Inc. Natalia Kleschevnikova (510) 656-3622 x 109 natalia@raident.com www.raident.com www.raident.blogspot.com

Electronics Handled by North American Recycling Processors Declines

The volume of electronics to be handled by North American recycling processors is expected to decline, according to numerous observers.

As noted in recent issues of this newsletter, information technology sales are slowing down as businesses and consumers keep their wallets shut. Electronics producers expect fourth quarter sales to be lower than a year ago, with many IT users choosing to set aside purchasing needs and extend the life of existing computers, servers and other products.

At the same time, new IT products are getting smaller. For instance, a combination of market research studies suggests that domestic desktop computer sales will rise only one percent this year, to about 159 million units, while sales of laptop computers will grow nearly 31 percent, to about 135 million.

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Source: E-Scrap News: "Available e-scrap weights to drop". Nov. 26, 2008