NCER celebrates 10th anniversary

The National Center for Electronics Recycling (NCER), Vienna, West Virginia, is celebrating its 10-year anniversary in 2015. NCER was incorporated in March 2005 to coordinate initiatives and research and to enhance the national infrastructure for recycling used electronics in the U.S.

In addition to marking the 10th year of operation of NCER, 2015 also represents the fifth year of the Electronics Recycling Coordination Clearinghouse (ERCC), an initiative managed by NCER and the Northeast Recycling Council (NERC) that brings the state agencies implementing electronics recycling laws together with the electronics industry. The key focus of the ERCC is to harmonize and simplify the administration of the patchwork of state electronics recycling laws.

To mark these milestones, NCER has redesigned its logo and website at www.electronicsrecycling.org. The redesigned site features posts on key initiatives and serves as a gateway to NCER’s sites for three major ongoing projects: ERCC, the Oregon State Contractor Program and the Vermont State Standard Plan. Other research projects and past efforts also are featured.

NCER says its key successes over the past 10 years include data-gathering efforts and on-the-ground collection efforts, as well as convening stakeholders to find common solutions to challenges. Examples of such accomplishments include:

• Establishing a consortium including West Virginia University, the Polymer Alliance Zone and others through funding from the Mid-Atlantic Recycling Center for Endof-Life Electronics (MARCEE) Project;
• Coordinating of a series of collection events in West Virginia that diverted hundreds of thousands of pounds from landfills prior to the passage of the West Virginia electronics recycling law and landfill ban on certain electronic devices;
• Awarding and initiating the Oregon State Contractor Program in 2008, which includes management of a statewide network of collectors and recyclers (Since 2009 through the middle of 2015, this program has recycled more than 51 million pounds.);
• Forming the ERCC membership organization in 2010 with 20 founding members and growing it to 45 members in the last five years across state government, manufacturers, recyclers and others;
• Launching the eCycleRegistration website under ERCC that allows manufacturers to complete required annual registration forms under seven state recycling laws (To date, more than 200 manufacturers have created accounts to submit their data.); and
• Awarding and managing the Vermont State Standard Plan in 2014 that includes oversight of a network of nearly 100 collectors under a program that has seen the highest per capita collection volumes of any program.
  
  

“It is an exciting time for us,” says Heather Smith, NCER senior manager. “Looking back on the last `0 years, we have accomplished so much. I always say that we are small, but we are mighty. Our little Mid-Ohio Valley-based organization has succeeded in helping move electronics recycling forward in a big way.”

Jason Linnell, NCER co-founder and executive director, says, “This has been an incredible journey, and it’s very rewarding to reflect on the accomplishments of this organization over the past decade. The electronics recycling industry is changing at a rapid pace and facing daunting challenges, but NCER’s role in gathering key data and implementing successful programs is a foundation that will have lasting impact.”