EPA Awards Contracts for E-Waste

The Environmental Protection Agency awarded its first contracts to help federal agencies disposal of computers and other used electronic equipment in an environmental manner.

Called Government Wide Acquisition Contracts for Recycling Electronics and Asset Disposition services, these contracts provide federal agencies with a method of recycling and disposing of excess or obsolete electronic equipment.

The EPA estimates that next year federal agencies will spend about $60 billion on information technology equipment, software, infrastructure and services. The government also disposes of about 10,000 computers a week.

The GWAC is composed of eight contracts (three nationwide, three in the eastern U.S. and two in western U.S.) awarded to small businesses.

The contractors are Molam International, Marietta, Ga.; Supply Chain Services, Lombard, Ill.; UNICOR, Washington, D.C.; Asset Recovery Corp., St. Paul, Minn.; Hesstech LLC, Edison, N.J.; Liquidity Services Inc., Washington, D.C.; Global Investment Recovery, Tampa, Fla.; and Hobi International, Batavia, Ill.

The contracts, approved Dec. 16, are for one year with up to four possible one-year extensions, with a combined potential value of up to $9 million. Contractors must maintain an audit trail to the equipment's final destination to ensure that reclamation and recycling efforts are documented. The contracts will maximize revenues from usable electronic equipment currently in storage through a share-in-savings program.