NWRA and CAER pledge cooperation

The Arlington, Virginia-based National Waste & Recycling Association (NWRA) and the Ohio-based Coalition for American Electronics Recycling (CAER) have jointly announced they intend to  partner on key issues and that they jointly recognize “a shared commitment” to the growth of the American electronics recycling sector.

NWRA and CAER say they are natural allies in advancing policies that create jobs and promote investment while ensuring the safe, responsible management of discarded materials. With about 700 members in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, NWRA says it represents approximately 70 percent of the private sector waste and recycling market. Its roster includes publicly traded and privately owned local, regional, and Fortune 500 national and international companies, says NWRA.

CAER says it represents companies doing business in the United States “that believe electronics recycling should be performed securely and sustainably, to protect national security and for the benefit of the American economy.” CAER includes more than 150 companies and supporting members who operate about 300 processing facilities in 37 states, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia.

NWRA says it will lend its support to passage of CAER-backed legislation to address electronic scrap exports, known as the Secure E-waste Export and Recycling Act (SEERA – HR 917). SEERA proposes limits on exports of electronic scrap that CAER claims “provide essential feedstock for counterfeiters.” Adds the group, “Fake microchips made from e-waste, originating primarily from China, pose a threat to national security because they have been found in sensitive military hardware and critical infrastructure,” states the group.

By requiring domestic recycling of untested, non-working end-of-life electronics, SEERA will also promote investment in the American electronics recycling sector and create up to 42,000 jobs, the two organizations state in the press release announcing their cooperation.

CAER says it will participate in NWRA’s new supply chain recycling group, Organizations for Supply Chain Recycling (OSCR). The two groups describe OSCR as a “multi-industry coalition [that] will provide a forum to discuss ideas for supporting a sustainable supply chain and ways to generate demand for recyclable materials that will encourage job creation.” CAER members share a commitment to promoting re-use and extending the useful life of electronics to promote sustainability, the group states.