R2 Solutions Approves R2:2013 Standard

The R2 Solutions Board of Directors recently adopted the final version of the R2:2013 Standard, which has undergone development over the last fifteen months by the R2 Solutions Technical Advisory Committee (TAC). Public comments were solicited, considered and responded to during this process, which ultimately led to the final approved version of the standard.

The current R2 standard was released in 2008 by the United States Environmental Protection Agency. Revisions to the standard are intended to clarify and improve the requirements for the certification process, thus assuring upstream vendors that all potential risk factors are being fully addressed. Changes to the standard include:

• Additional Best Practices
• Clarifications of the definition of focus materials
• A comprehensive approach to data security and destruction
• Enhanced export requirements
• Clarifications of existing downstream due diligence requirements

The new standard goes into effect July 1, 2013. There are currently 395 R2 certified facilities (including CompuCycle), which have 18 months to make the transition. For more information regarding the new R2 standard, visit http://www.r2solutions.org/r2practices/the-r2-2013-standard/

How We Became CompuCycle

CompuCycle has been responsibly recycling electronics for over fifteen years, but we didn’t become such a successful enterprise overnight! Prior to 1996, CompuCycle was known as Complex Metals Incorporated, a company whose primary focus was metals exchange. As the technology market grew, owner John Hess and his son Clive became increasingly aware of the detrimental environmental impacts of discarded electronics and the numerous chemicals in them. The need for responsible electronics disposal was apparent, so the father/son duo established CompuCycle to address this rapidly growing issue. We went green long before it became the trendy thing to do!

A decade and a half later, CompuCycle remains true to its mission of providing electronics recycling solutions that are ethical, ecologically sustainable and set to EPA regulatory standards. In January of 2011, CompuCycle became Houston’s first R2 Certified electronics recycler, once again proving our commitment to innovation and environmental responsibility. Electronic waste continues to grow at an exponential rate, and you can count on us to be there to handle it safely, securely and responsibly!

The Politics of Exporting for Reuse

Reuse and refurbishment were the topics of discussion at the most recent Conference of Parties to the Basel Convention in Geneva, Switzerland. The Basel Convention is an international treaty that was designed to reduce hazardous waste movement from developed countries to less developed countries. Recently, representatives from developing countries voted against a proposed “export for repair” exemption, which would have exempted non-working but repairable electronics from the Convention’s hazardous waste control procedures. If the proposal was adopted, it would give lesser developed countries zero access to low-cost computer equipment, thus widening the global digital gap. However, a consensus could not be reached and the proposal was not adopted.

CompuCycle manages used and end of life electronics following a policy based on the R2 standard of “reuse, recover, dispose.” Whereas we responsibly recycle as much as we can, we first test all equipment that comes to our facility to see if it can be reused. Machines that are working or repairable are refurbished for resale, enabling CompuCycle to offer high-quality products to our customers at a discounted rate. Placing restrictions on exports for refurbishment and reuse would not only prohibit us from doing this, but would also send raw materials into the recycling stream instead of diverting them back into the market. The export debate continues…

Take the CRT Challenge!

Remember when your clunky tube televisions and computer monitors were the cutting edge of new technology? Those days have long since passed, and the challenge recyclers now face is how to properly dispose of the cathode ray tube (CRT) glass those products are made of. CRT glass contains high concentrations of lead, which can have detrimental effects on the environment when left to fester in a landfill. This makes CRT glass difficult to recycle, and while the lead can be reused by smelters to make new CRT glass, the demand for it has steadily dwindled with advances in LCD, LED and plasma technology. With an estimated 2 billion pounds of CRT TVs and monitors expected to enter recycling stream in future years, how to process this hazardous glass is an increasing concern.

To address this issue, the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) ® and Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI) ® are conducting their annual CRT Challenge to gather new and innovative ideas for recycling CRT glass in a financially viable, environmentally conscious manner. The winner will have their solution publicized and potentially implemented, in addition to receiving a grand prize of $10,000. Submissions will be accepted until June 30, 2013, and we encourage all of the inventors out there to enter!

For more information, visit https://www.innocentive.com/ar/challenge/9933317