National Vehicle Mercury Switch Recovery Program extended through 2021

The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI), Washington, says it has joined with other stakeholders in signing an extension to the National Vehicle Mercury Switch Recovery Program (NVMSRP). As a result, the voluntary collection program will continue operating through Dec. 31, 2021, ISRI reports in its “Leadership Update” email dated Jan. 3, 2018.

The NVMSRP is a voluntary, national program established by the United States Environmental Protection Agency, automobile manufacturers and related industries in 2006. End of Life Vehicle Solutions Inc. (ELVS) is the nonprofit corporation that operates the program.

ELVS contractor, Boise, Idaho-headquartered US Ecology, provides dismantlers with storage buckets for the collection of automotive mercury switches. Once a bucket is full, the dismantlers ship them to US Ecology via UPS using prepaid UPS labels provided with the buckets. US Ecology then disposes of the mercury through recycling, retorting or by other approved disposal methods. 

While the program was scheduled to expire at the end of 2017, ISRI says evidence suggests a significant number of mercury switches has yet to be captured.

“ISRI members approved the continuation of the NVMSRP as long as the End of Life Vehicle Solutions Corp. (ELVS) maintained transportation, acceptance, recycling and liability responsibilities and the responsibilities of ISRI and participating dismantlers and recyclers remained essentially unchanged,” the association notes in its email. “The extension fulfills both these requirements.”