District of Columbia to limit eCycling program to e-Stewards certified processors

The District of Columbia has limited its eCycle DC extended producer responsibility take-back program to e-Stewards certified recyclers and refurbishers as valid registered processors of e-scrap. The move was part of the district’s Fiscal Year 2022 Budget Support Act that became law last month.

"Our local environmental advocates had long been calling for more stringent ethical standards in electronic recycling, which is why we seized the opportunity to require the use of Certified e-Stewards Processors," says Mary Cheh, chair of the district’s Environment and Transportation Committee. "It is because of their advocacy that our eCycling program will operate in a more meaningful way that reduces the environmental and social harms that can accompany the electronics recycling market." 

The e-Stewards program certifies companies and includes support from prominent manufacturers, corporations and institutions, including Samsung, LGE, Sony, Bank of America, Bloomberg and Wells Fargo. The program also receives support from San Francisco; Seattle; and Kansas City, Missouri. 

"It is gratifying to see that the DC Council understands the importance of upholding ethical standards in the recycling of the public's electronic discards,” says Prema George, e-Stewards certification director. "These wastes can cause grievous harm if not properly managed. The e-Stewards Certification ensures that the public's e-waste is managed in a manner which promotes global environmental justice while maintaining the strictest safeguards against private data releases."