For Immediate Release March 16, 2011

ISRI Launches Online, Automated System for Qualifying Scrap Recyclers to Reserve and Obtain Reports Required to Meet Superfund Due-Diligence Requirements

Washington, D.C. – The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI) today launched a new online, automated Superfund Recycling Equity Act (SREA) report system to assist ReMA members in reserving and obtaining the necessary reports that help them to be exempted from Superfund liability.

ISRI members can make reservations for, and obtain, SREA reports through a user-friendly web-based form ReMA is offering through its SREA Reasonable Care Compliance Program, click HERE. 

ISRI successfully worked in 1999 with Congress to obtain an exemption for recyclers from Superfund liability, but that exemption is not automatic.  The 1999 law requires recyclers to conduct due diligence demonstrating that they checked to make sure their customers are in compliance with applicable environmental laws and regulations prior to shipment of recyclable materials to these customers.

ISRI President Robin Wiener noted that while due diligence reports can cost upwards of several thousand dollars if done individually, ReMA has contracted with URS, a leading environmental consulting firm, to provide these reports at a substantial discount.  ReMA is in turn offering ReMA members the opportunity to reserve and receive their reports for a nominal handling charge of just $12.* 

“ISRI is working to ensure that our members save money and time and protect themselves through this important program,” Wiener said.  “The ReMA Board believes that helping members protect themselves is a critical role for ISRI, and that is why it has approved several hundred thousand dollars of ISRI’s budget to be used for the purchase of these reports and decided to only pass on a minimal handling charge per report to its members.  I strongly encourage our members to take advantage of this system that is easy to use, a potentially significant money saver and hard to pass up.”

To help inform ReMA members about how to reserve and obtain SREA reports, ReMA is scheduled on Thursday, March 24, to present a one-hour, member-only phone conference outlining step-by-step instructions on the process.  To register for the SREA session, click HERE.

Additionally, ReMA has scheduled a workshop on SREA issues at its annual Convention and Exposition, one of the world’s largest meetings of scrap recycling professionals. The workshop is scheduled for Thursday, April 7 at 9:45 am and will focus on how recyclers can better understand their responsibilities and the tools that ReMA provides to help meet SREA's due-diligence requirements.  The session will be led by the URS senior reviewer in charge of the overall SREA program.  For more information, click HERE.

The ReMA SREA Reasonable Care Compliance Program helps protect scrap recyclers from Superfund liability. 

“At our company, we feel it is extremely important to protect our future.  By completing the SREA due diligence, we are doing our best to avoid a costly mistake down the road,” said Matt Kripke of Kripke Enterprises.  “Requesting the reports from ReMA allows us to take advantage of economies of scale and pay only a fraction of what it would cost us to order the data on our own.  We thank ReMA for offering this valuable service at a very reasonable investment,” concluded Kripke. 

ISRI’s new SREA report system will begin accepting report reservations from qualifying recyclers starting today, March 16, and running through April 30.

Members should make their reservations early to ensure they meet the April 30 deadline. The program is currently budgeted to cover reports on approximately 1,400 different consuming facilities.  If necessary, ReMA will prioritize reports based on a computer algorithm that takes into account demand for each consuming facility and other criteria.

For more information on SREA, click HERE or contact Danielle Waterfield at daniellewaterfield@isri.org or at 202.662.8516.

[*Due to budget restrictions, ReMA can provide only a limited number of unique SREA due-diligence reports at the reduced rate as noted above.  Visit www.isri.org/srea for full details and terms of the SREA Reasonable Care Compliance Program].

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The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries, Inc. (ISRI) is the "Voice of the Recycling Industry."  ReMA represents more than 1,550 companies in 21 chapters nationwide that process, broker, and consume scrap commodities, including metals, paper, plastics, glass, rubber, electronics, and textiles. With headquarters in Washington, D.C., ReMA provides education, advocacy, and compliance training, and promotes public awareness of the vital role recycling plays in the U.S. economy, global trade and environment.