Washington, DC – The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries, Inc (ISRI), today urged those who receive electronics as Father’s Day gifts help make sure that any obsolete products those gifts might replace are recycled safely and responsibly. Father’s Day falls on Sunday, June 19, this year.

While household electronics account for only about a quarter of electronics equipment that is sent for recycling on an annual basis, safe and responsible recycling of electronics keeps obsolete and end-of-life electronics out of landfills.

ISRI President Robin Wiener noted that the U.S. electronics recycling industry has shown tremendous growth over the past 10 years and provides a boost of approximately $5 billion to the U.S. economy (up from less than $1 billion in 2002) and employs more than 30,000 full time employees (up from 6,000 in 2002).

Last year, the U.S. electronics recycling industry processed 3 million to 4 million tons of used and end-of-life electronics equipment. More than 70 percent of the collected equipment is manufactured into specification grade commodities -- including scrap steel, aluminum, copper, lead, circuit boards, plastics and glass. These valuable commodities are then sold to basic materials manufacturers in the United States and globally as raw material feedstock for new products, such as steel, copper, aluminum, plastic and glass. 

Some electronics are repaired and refurbished and then sold as used products into domestic and international markets. Companies also provide a number of logistical services, like collection, storage and transportation as well as scrubbing hard drives of sensitive personal and commercial data.

The industry is driven by equipment collected from businesses and commercial interests, comprising up to 75 percent of the market. The electronics recycling industry is poised to meet the anticipated increased demand for more used products and specification grade commodities, with companies currently operating at about 50 percent of their operational capabilities, according to preliminary findings from the 2011 Electronics Recycling Industry Survey, which was commissioned by the Recycling Research Foundation.

Wiener also noted that the electronics recycling industry has seen a dramatic increase in the use of third-party certifications. The marketplace is pushing electronics recyclers to become certified to programs like ISRI’s R2/RIOS™ Certified Electronics Recycler® program to improve operational controls, meet customer demands and secure a competitive advantage. 

The Recycling Industry Operating Standard® (RIOS) is the recycling industry’s standard for environmental, and health & safety (QEH&S) management systems. RIOS™ provides a powerful framework for scrap recyclers of all sizes and scrap materials, including electronic scrap, to improve their QEH&S performance and their bottom line. RIOS™ certification is available from independent third-party certification bodies (CBs) accredited by the ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board (ANAB)

The Responsible Recycling (R2) standards -- developed by the U.S. Environmental Agency (EPA) with ReMA and other stakeholders – apply specifically to electronics recyclers. More and more companies are becoming R2/RIOS™, RIOS™ and R2 certified, added Melissa Merz, Vice President of Communications and Marketing at ISRI.

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