Electronics recycling

R2 attains ANSI accreditation

SERI (Sustainable Electronics Recycling International), Boulder, Colorado, says that as of Sept. 1, 2015, its R2 (Responsible Recycling Practices) standards development process has been accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), Washington.

“The accreditation is an affirmation that SERI’s process is consistent with ANSI’s Essential Requirements for Due Process, which constitutes the recognized benchmark for voluntary consensus standards bodies,” SERI states in a news release announcing the accreditation.

“SERI has always been committed to an open, transparent, consensus-based standards development process for the R2 Standard,” says John Lingelbach, executive director of SERI. “Now the process has ANSI’s formal stamp of approval.”

SERI says the accreditation “is especially significant because the United States government places a premium on the use of voluntary consensus standards in its procurement and regulatory activities.”

According to SERI, U.S. federal policy on the use of voluntary consensus standards is based on Section 12(d) of P.L. 104-113, the “National Technology Transfer and Advancement Act of 1995. (NTTAA).” The NTTAA states that (with minimal exceptions) “all federal agencies and departments shall use technical standards that are developed or adopted by voluntary consensus standards bodies, using such technical standards as a means to carry out policy objectives or activities determined by the agencies and departments.”

More recently, Presidential Executive Order 13693—Planning for Federal Sustainability in the Next Decade—appears to have reinforced the government’s commitment in this area by emphasizing the use of “environmental performance criteria developed or adopted by voluntary consensus standards bodies.”

Lingelbach says, “SERI and other voluntary consensus standards bodies are distinguished by their commitment to openness, balance of interests, due process, an appeals process and consensus. ANSI accreditation confirms SERI’s commitment to these principles and will clearly differentiate the R2 Standard in the marketplace.”

Sims Recycling Solutions declines to renew e-Stewards certification

Sims Recycling Solutions Inc. (SRS), West Chicago, Illinois, says “after a long and detailed review of the benefits and costs of the e-Stewards certification program,” it has decided not to renew its licensing agreement and certification to that standard at its United States operations.

The decision is effective with the expiration of current certifications.

“Sims corporate clients routinely conduct their own recycler audits and our internal control mechanisms ensure we maintain our high operating standards at all global sites,” the company says in a news release announcing the decision. “With an increased focus on corporate asset recovery, Sims will be redirecting certification resources to further improve our industry-leading data destruction and secure information management activities.”

Steve Skurnac, global president of SRS, states, “We will continue to support some of the BAN (Basel Action Network) activities on a global scale to control illegal e-scrap shipments, and our processing and recycling operations will continue to be managed at the highest level of environmental practices and in compliance with all global trade requirements.”

SRS offers IT asset disposition and mobile device refurbishment services to local, national and global customers.

Sage Sustainable Electronics to acquire Hugo Neu Recycling

Columbus, Ohio-based Sage Sustainable Electronics, an information technology asset disposition (ITAD) company focused on extending the useful life of technology, has announced that it has reached an agreement to acquire Hugo Neu Recycling, an electronics recycler and subsidiary of Hugo Neu Corp., headquartered in New York.

Sponsored Content

SENNEBOGEN 340G telehandler improves the view in Macon County, NC

An elevated cab is one of several features improving operational efficiency at the Macon County Solid Waste Management agency in North Carolina. When it comes to waste management, efficiency, safety and reliability are priorities driving decisions from day one, according to staff members of the Macon County Solid Waste Management Department in western North Carolina. The agency operates a recycling plant in a facility originally designed to bale incoming materials. More recently, the building has undergone significant transformations centered around one machine: a SENNEBOGEN telehandler (telescopic handler).

The acquisition brings Hugo Neu customers proprietary tools, such as the Sage Bluebook^® and the Sage Central customer portal, as well as an extended range of IT life cycle solutions designed to guarantee data security, reduce costs and recover value from used electronics, the companies say.

Sage’s strategy to extend reuse and delay recycling of IT equipment will benefit the company’s customers almost immediately, says Hugo Neu Recycling President Alan Ratner.

“Sage systems and methods for increasing reuse improve financial results, and our integration creates new efficiencies in recycling,” Ratner says.