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ERCC One Year Anniversary

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                Contact: Jason Linnell

January 6, 2011                                                             Phone: 304-699-1008

   Email: jlinnell@electronicsrecycling.org

 

                                                                       

Electronics Recycling Coordination Clearinghouse

Marks First Year of Success

 

Las Vegas, Nev. – January 6, 2011 – The Electronics Recycling Coordination Clearinghouse (ERCC) is celebrating its first year of accomplishments at the 2011 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES).  The ERCC was formally launched at the 2010 CES as a forum for coordination and information exchange among the state agencies that are implementing electronics recycling laws and impacted stakeholders.   With 21 Founding Members at its launch in January 2010, the ERCC has now grown to 28 members, with several expected to be added in early 2011, and has taken on significant projects to ease the burden of implementation of and compliance with the varying state electronics recycling laws.

 

With four new states passing electronics recycling laws in 2010 – Pennsylvania, New York, South Carolina, and Vermont – there are now 24 laws that mandate various types of manufacturer responsibility programs (with the exception of California). ERCC representatives will be on-hand at the 2011 CES, helping educate electronics manufacturers and retailers about the 24 electronics recycling laws. 

 

“Many states are beginning to crack down on non-compliant manufacturers and retailers, and CES is a perfect opportunity to spread the word about basic requirements of the state recycling laws and demonstrate the resources that ERCC can offer,” said Jason Linnell, Executive Director of the National Center for Electronics Recycling (NCER). 

 

“The momentum of producer responsibility laws in the US is resulting in changes in the ways equipment manufacturers address issues from green design through recycling,” added Lynn Rubinstein, Executive Director of the Northeast Recycling Council (NERC). The NCER and NERC jointly formed the ERCC in late 2009 and manage its activities.

 

ERCC successes in the first year include the development of a comprehensive public resource on state electronics recycling laws available on the ERCC Website at www.ecycleclearinghouse.org.  Members of the public can access detailed breakdowns, descriptions, and other data comparing state electronics recycling laws, including interactive maps.  The ERCC also hosted a very successful workshop on “Harmonizing State Electronics Recycling Laws” in September at the E-Scrap 2010 conference with over 60 attendees from government, industry, and non-profit organizations.

 

For members, ERCC has developed working groups to coordinate data needs on market share and return share requirements, develop recommended measures of performance of state programs, and deploy a consolidated online registration system for stakeholders complying with multiple state laws. Finally, members have access to more detailed comparisons and new research on state laws, as well as to a unique “Brand & Manufacturer Database.”  This sortable and searchable database includes state-by-state manufacturer registration data including those brands/manufacturers that are listed as “in violation” or “non-compliant” or that have been declared bankrupt.

 

In 2011, the ERCC will release documents with recommendations on various topics such as performance measures and product definitions, which have been developed through member working groups.  The ERCC is also planning to activate the online registration system and expand the Brand & Manufacturer Database to include recycler information.

 

The ERCC is modeled on the successful organization managed by NERC known as the Toxics in Packaging Clearinghouse (TPCH). TPCH has demonstrated over the years that providing this type of coordination can provide benefits to and reduce costs for state governments and the regulated community in addition to providing consistency to the impacted industry.  

 

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About the National Center for Electronics Recycling (NCER): The NCER is a 501 (c)3 non-profit organization based in Parkersburg, West Virginia that is dedicated to the development and enhancement of a national infrastructure for the recycling of used electronics in the U.S. For more information about the NCER, visit their website at www.electronicsrecycling.org.

 

About The Northeast Recycling Council (NERC): NERC's mission is to advance an environmentally sustainable economy by promoting source and toxicity reduction, recycling, and the purchasing of environmentally preferable products and services. As part of its mission, NERC administers and supports several programs: The Toxics in Packaging Clearinghouse, the State Electronics Recycling Challenge, the Electronics Recycling Coordination Clearinghouse and the Vermont Business Materials Exchange. For more information on NERC or any of their projects, call Lynn Rubinstein 802-254-3636 or visit www.nerc.org