Mar 26 - ISRI Adopts New Electronic Waste Exporting Policy

Waste & Recycling News reports that Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries, Inc. (ISRI) has adopted a new policy it says will address health, environmental and safety problems sometimes associated with the export of electronic waste for recycling or disposal. ISRI is a Washington, D.C.-based trade association that represents nearly 1,600 private, for-profit companies operating at more than 7,000 facilities in the United States and 30 countries worldwide that process, broker, and industrially consume scrap commodities, including ferrous and nonferrous metals, paper, electronics, rubber, plastics, glass, and textiles.

The new policy is in line with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Responsible Recycling (R2) Rractices, which bans the export of electronic equipment and components for landfilling or incineration and requires that facilities outside the U.S. that recycle or refurbish electronics have a documented, verifiable environmental, health and worker safety system in place. Other requirements include requires that any facility must be capable of handling hazardous waste and requires U.S. exporters confirm a facility they export to is in compliance with the law.