USEPA Stakeholder Group
In January 2006, a large group of stakeholders met
in Washington, DC to discuss developing voluntary national standards for electronics recyclers.
At the meeting, a smaller group of stakeholders, of which Hesstech is a member, was asked to work
with a facilitator to develop guidelines establishing "best management practices (BMPs)." Since the group's
inception, the small group has held conference calls on average on a weekly basis which has resulted in many
versions of a draft straw proposal document. The document is intended to "level the playing field"
among recyclers requiring they operate consistently in accordance to higher operational, health,
and environmental standards that do not typically exist in the current marketplace. More specifically,
most of the group wants this document to be used as part of a certification process that ensures
recyclers won't be able to do things like pass off exporting of untested equipment to overseas operations
that cause harm to workers or the environment as proper recycling. As of the end of October 2008 there are
18 revisions.
Although, there are several issues where the small group has yet to
reach a consensus, some of these issues, such as a small company’s ability to comply
with the guidelines, have been tabled while the group moves into a field testing phase
with the hope that many of these concerns will be addressed. The group has solicited
information from professional auditors and has devised the framework
for an audit checklist. Several test facilities have been identified who are willing to
participate in the trial audit or field testing phase on a voluntary basis. The volunteer
companies range from large to small recyclers, some of whom focus on metals recovery and some
on resale of equipment. A non-profit is also being considered. Below you will find a links
to the latest version of the BMPs and a copy of the draft audit checklist.
Please click to view:
Facilitator’s Draft Straw Proposal v.18.0 [58 KB PDF]
Facilitator’s Draft Straw Proposal v.17.1 [235 KB PDF]
12/5/07 Draft Field-Testing Auditor Checklist for v.17.1 [116 KB PDF]
Facilitator’s Draft Straw Proposal v.16.1 [48 KB PDF]
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