Every year, the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries holds a conference and expo focusing entirely on the recycling industry. This year’s ISRI Convention will be held on April 15-19 in Las Vegas, NV. And, as always, there will be a comprehensive program on electronics recycling, and EScrapBeat.com will be covering the event. Here’s a look at what will be on the agenda for electronics recyclers.
EDUCATIONAL SHORT COURSE
8:00AM-12:00 Noon
LEARN the VALUE of being an R2/RIOS CERTIFIED ELECTRONICS RECYCLER®
Course Description: Implementing a comprehensive management system is a significant investment of time and resources. What benefits can a recycler expect to see? How do the initial implementation and ongoing maintenance of a management system translate to real value for the recycler and his customers? Participants will hear the underlying values built into the standards, and the real-world advantages recyclers have achieved with R2/RIOS.
ELECTRONICS SPOTLIGHT
ISRI Electronics Division Introduction & Moderator – Joe Clayton (Division Chair)
Keynote Speaker: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Official
On July 20, 2011 President Obama’s Interagency Task Force on Electronics Stewardship released the National Strategy for Electronics Stewardship, in which the Federal Government lays out the groundwork for improving the management of electronics equipment through the product life-cycle –from design and manufacturing through their use and eventual recycling, recovery and disposal. The Electronics Spotlight will provide an overview of this Strategy and other examples of how the Federal Government can leverage its resources to prevent environmental harm, conserve valuable resources, save money, create jobs and facilitate economic development.
U.S.–INTERNATIONAL ELECTRONICS RECYCLING SUMMIT
Developed with the U.S. Department of Commerce
Description:
The U.S.-International Electronics Recycling Summit will feature international thought leaders and government officials from the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), China, India and Brazil outlining the current state of electronics recycling in key international markets. Discussion will focus on regulatory approaches, recycling targets, needed technologies, and the international paradigm shift occurring in the Basel Convention. The Summit intends to highlight the business opportunities that exist in those foreign markets for recyclers, technology vendors, and other interested parties.
PRESS PANEL on FAIR TRADE ELECTRONICS RECYCLING
Description: Hear from nationally known journalists who have visited recycling facilities in key international markets. Panelists will discuss first-hand accounts of sustainable solutions for fair trade recycling around the world. The focus will be on lessons learned and separating truth from fiction.
BEST VALUE & PRACTICES IN THE REUSE MARKETPLACE
Description: This session will be a roundtable discussion with a panel of leaders from the electronics reuse/refurbishment community. The focus will be on the challenges and issues involved – including best practices in processing electronics for maximum reuse and value recovery, brand value of R2 certification, and partnering with asset recovery companies to maximize return.
THE UNCERTAIN LANDSCAPE OF CRT GLASS RECYCLING
Description: Hear from regulators, environmentalists and recyclers on current challenges and issues relating to responsibly processing CRT (cathode ray tube) glass: land filling funnel glass in California? The use of proppant pellets from CRTs for fracking natural gas wells? What’s in store for the new federal CRT proposed rule?
SPOTLIGHT on COPPER
THE BIG PICTURE FOR PLASTICS in ELECTRONICS RECYCLING
Description:
This session is the first of its kind to truly explore the opportunities and challenges for plastics from electronics, which represents nearly one-third of the material generated at many electronics recycling operations. This session will present the story of the plastics supply chain for electronics, with insight provided by a global resin supplier, a prominent Original Design Manufacturer (ODM), and a leading thought leader for increasing the consumption of recycled plastics. The audience will learn about current recovery efforts and important trends in PCR, all of which impact electronics recyclers.
For more information about the ISRI Convention program – including registration and reservations, go to the convention website at: http://www.isriconvention.org/
CERTIFICATION
· To date, 22 electronics recycling companies – and 50 of their facilities – have been certified to R2 and RIOS and received the trademarked designation of “Certified Electronics Recycler®” – including several international/non-US locations.
There are four certifying bodies ANAB accredited for R2/RIOS – SGS Systems & Services Certification (SGS), Perry Johnson Registrars, Orion Registrar and AQA International. If your company is ready for certification, now is the time to join the team of industry leaders.
The process for obtaining certification to RIOS + R2 includes:
- Join RIOS
- Attend a R2/RIOS training Course
- Prepare for Certification to RIOS + R2
- Engage R2/RIOS Registrar to schedule certification audits
· Certified Electronics Recycler® Website
ISRI has a website focused exclusively on its trademarked Certified Electronics Recycler® program. Included are lists and profiles of all the companies and facilities that have achieved certification to R2/RIOS. You can visit the website at:
http://www.certifiedelectronicsrecycler.org/
eScrapBeat 