Making Strides in China

Just back from China, R2 Solutions Executive Director, John Lingelbach, was encouraged by his meetings with representatives from the government and private sectors. 

"There's no question that China still has significant challenges to overcome, but there are many folks who are working hard to manage the country's end-of-life electronics responsibly," said Lingelbach.

During his trip to Beijing and surrounding areas, Lingelbach met with the Vice Chairman and core members of the China Association of Resource Comprehensive Utilization WEEE Committee which is part of the China Association of Circular Economy and represents the 191 government licensed electronics recyclers in China.  The meeting was productive, with Committee members expressing interest in R2 certification and how it could work in the Chinese context. 

Lingelbach was also invited to give a talk about the current status of electronics recycling in North America and the R2 Standard at a conference hosted by the China Household Electrical Appliance Research Institute (CHEARI). 

The trip did not offer a comprehensive perspective on end-of-life electronics management in China.  It did make clear, however, that the government and segments of the private sector are making strides to manage these materials in a responsible manner.

CRT Glass:  Recovering Valuable Resources

The second in a series of articles on CRT glass.

The proliferation of stockpiles of CRT tubes and glass continues to be one of the biggest challenges in the electronics recycling industry.  According to Tom Bolon, CEO of Novotec Recycling in Columbus, Ohio, the problem isn't due to lack of capacity, but the reluctance of recyclers and OEMs to pay for the legitimate processing of CRT glass.

"Novotec has never turned down a customer who wanted to send us CRT material," says Bolon.  "There is sufficient capacity in the system, but not all recyclers are willing to pay the true costs of legitimate recycling."

When speaking of "legitimate recycling," Bolon refers to a document released by the EPA several years ago entitled Revisions to the Definition of Solid Waste final Rule Compilations: The Legitimate Recycling Standard.  In it, the EPA outlines what they refer to as "sham" recycling - basically hiding a hazardous material or component within another product or material where it serves no purpose or function.  

"The use of CRT glass as Alternative Daily Cover (ADC) for landfills is a prime example of this," cites Bolon. "The lead has no function in the ADC, it is just hidden in the ADC material to avoid the cost of recycling the lead. This is not recycling. This is landfilling.  The EPA has identified two legitimate recycling methods for CRT glass:  glass-to-glass recycling where the CRT glass is used to make a new CRT; and smelting the glass to extract and recycle the lead for use in a new product or process.  Novotec has chosen to use smelting as our final process for recycling CRT funnel glass.  We've worked hard to develop a strong relationship with Glencore (formerly Xstrata) which owns and operates a large primary lead smelter in Belledune, New Brunswick."  

The question of processing capacity is a concern for some in the industry.  Tom Schnull, Raw Materials Manager for Glencore, addressed this issue.   "As with any commodity, demand is not always in perfect balance with availability. That's just the nature of the market.  But there is a legitimate, ongoing demand for CRT glass as a flux agent in the refining process.  (CRT glass is consumed during smelting and the remaining lead is recovered for use in other applications).  The lead and lead alloys we produce are primarily used in automotive batteries.  As that market fluctuates, so does our demand for CRT glass." 

Could all existing stockpiles of CRT glass be processed at once?  No, but this is true of any process.   Schnull and others in the industry estimate that over the next five years demand for CRT as a flux agent will be able to effectively use up existing CRT stockpiles.  Also noted by Schnull was the need for consolidating.  It is simply not efficient for Glencore to accept CRT glass from every recycler in the country.  Instead, they have cultivated relationships with larger companies, such as Novotec , who collect CRT glass from smaller recyclers and prepare it for processing according to Glencore specifications. 

Bolon believes in the benefits that recycling provides to our environment as well as to the economy. "True recycling is an important component in the supply chain of many of our valuable natural resources," says Bolon.  "There are many exciting options for CRT glass being worked on every day, but the key factor to the legitimacy of any of these processes is that the lead and glass are truly separated so that they can be meaningfully reused in other applications.  Simply hiding the lead within another material where it serves no useful function is not recycling.  Smelting CRT glass is legitimate recycling of a valuable natural resource, and there is plenty of capacity in the system to recycle all of the CRT glass remaining in the US and Canada."

New Quality Plan for the R2:2013 Standard

Last week, a new quality plan for the R2:2013 Standard was introduced. The R2 Quality Plan was developed using feedback from electronics recyclers and refurbishers, original equipment manufacturers, certification body representatives, auditors, consultants, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and state environmental agencies.  

"It was important to involve a diverse group of stakeholders," said R2 Quality Director, Sharada Rao.  "Thoughtfully considering challenging issues from different perspectives achieves the best outcomes and avoids the unintended consequences that often accompany well intentioned policies."

The purpose of the R2 Quality Plan is multifaceted: 

• to improve the value of the R2 Standard to recyclers worldwide through the development of educational resources
• to help recyclers and auditors better understand the R2 requirements and expectations  
• to raise the integrity of the Standard through monitoring processes
• to identify and remove any bad performers from the R2 program

"Implementation of this Quality Plan will provide additional training and resources to recyclers, auditors and CBs, making R2 certification more attainable around the world, while upholding and advancing the high standards and integrity of the R2 program," said John Lingelbach, Executive Director of R2 Solutions.  

The plan identifies specific tools and resources that will be developed and made available to R2 certified facilities, certification bodies, and auditors in the coming months.   Of particular interest for recyclers and refurbishers will be an implementation guide to help recyclers develop their systems for conforming to R2:2013.  The Quality Plan also calls for more guidance on how refurbishers and recyclers can identify acceptable downstream vendors, track Focus Materials, and avoid and correct common non-conformances.

Other elements of the Quality Plan focus on training for auditors and certifying bodies, for example, in the areas of legal requirements and the tracking of Focus Materials.  Random "check-in" audits, a hotline to report non-conformances, and procedures for evaluating and removing bad performers (facilities and auditors) are also discussed in the Quality Plan and will play a significant role in upholding and strengthening the integrity of the R2 Standard.