According to American Recycler magazine, there is an ongoing battle for electronic waste recyclers and lawmakers wanting to do the right thing … which is to responsibly recycle e-waste.

Currently, 25 states have some form of law governing electronic waste; but, state laws vary widely. The National Center for Electronic Recycling (NCER), a non-profit organization dedicated to the development and enhancement of a national infrastructure for recycling used electronics, is trying to change that by making the implementation of state laws more uniform. They have compiled a detailed summary of all state laws at www.electronicsrecycling.org.

There are many areas in the country where little is known about how much is collected or worse, where it is going. Private programs along with state laws have increased collection volume and forced recyclers to become compliant with environmental requirements, and get certified through one of the certification programs. Unfortunately, low commodity prices impact the ability to generate enough revenue to sustain operations. The beginning of 2014 saw metal prices drop significantly. It has been very dramatic for many e-cyclers.

The article claims that a major challenge for large recyclers is there is still no level playing field. Large recyclers seem to play by the same rules and independently do responsible recycling. The problem is they also compete with many smaller operations doing things very differently. This enable the smaller operations to undercut the larger, certified e-cyclers in price.

The industry also continues to realize a problem with CRT glass, which contains lead and requires special handling and treatment. The problem with CRTs is not how to treat them, but rather a financial issue. Solutions exist, some more expensive than others, but unfortunately many people do not want to pay the price.

If you have concerns or questions regarding your company’s generation of waste, please give us a call at 256-492-3704 or visit our website at safewayind.com. Safeway Industrial has a strong and solid reputation in our industry.