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November/December 2005
ISRI News
ISRI Chair Testifies on Electronics Recycling
ISRI Chair Joel Denbo testified before the U.S. House Subcommittee on Environment and Hazardous Materials Sept. 8 as part of a panel on the issue of electronics recycling. The panel was composed of nine representatives from groups interested in how best to recycle obsolete electronics, such as ISRI, the Electronics Industries Alliance, the Consumer Electronics Association, the Consumer Electronics Retailers Coalition, and the Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association.
Denbo challenged the subcommittee to focus on the ultimate goal—that is, to promote a long-term, sustainable market for recycled electronics. He then cited the following four key policy principles necessary for successful electronics recycling:
- Recognize that "scrap is not waste and recycling is not disposal";
- Implement a long-term Design for Recycling® policy with manufacturers to make electronic products easier and less expensive to recycle;
- Support environmental management systems like ISRI's Recycling Industry Operating Standard (RIOS) to ensure safe, high-quality, and environmentally sound management practices; and
- Fund research and development of new markets for the commodities recovered from recycled electronics. As Denbo explained, increasing demand for these products will allow the marketplace to manage the costs of recycling in the long-term.
This hearing was the second round of panels called by the subcommittee to address the huge quantity of end-of-life electronics being disposed of in U.S. landfills. In preparation for this testimony, ISRI staff lobbied key members of the subcommittee to introduce them to ISRI and explain the nuances of the association's electronics recycling policy. In addition, ISRI arranged tours of Adams Steel, Electronics Partners Corp., and Allan Co.—all California-based recyclers—for staff of Rep. Hilda Solis (D-Calif.), ranking member on the subcommittee. In mid-October, ISRI gave the subcommittee additional information on its electronics recycling positions in response to written questions submitted by group.
For more information, contact Eric Harris at 202/662-8514 or ericharris@isri.org.
ISRI Forms Senate Recycling Caucus
ISRI has established a Recycling Caucus in the U.S. Senate that will be cochaired by Sens. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) and Tom Carper (D-Del.).
ISRI created this group because it found that most legislators think of recycling as a curbside activity. Many in Congress and in state legislatures are unaware of the for-profit recycling industry and the serious statutory and regulatory obstacles it faces. Without a clear understanding of the scrap industry, legislators can impose onerous or unnecessary burdens on recyclers.
The Recycling Caucus is a means to establish a dialog with senators and their staff to better inform them about the scrap recycling industry and, in the process, prevent burdensome regulations. Addressing the "scrap-is-not-waste" issue and Design for Recycling® are at the top of ISRI's legislative agenda. The association will also clarify the similarities and differences of municipal and commercial recycling.
The Recycling Caucus now needs to increase its membership in the Senate, so ISRI is asking members to contact their senators and ask them to join the caucus. For assistance with this effort, including how-to sheets, talking points, telephone numbers, and other resources, contact Billy Johnson at 202/662-8548 or billyjohnson@isri.org, or Mark Reiter at 202/662-8517 or markreiter@isri.org.
ISRI, Scrap Industry Aid Katrina Recovery Efforts Within days of the disaster, ISRI Chair Joel Denbo had sent a letter to all ISRI members, rallying them to help in any way possible—through financial donations, giving blood, lending equipment to aid the cleanup effort, providing housing and jobs for the displaced, personally volunteering to assist, and more. ISRI also quickly added a Hurricane Katrina Response section to its Web site (www.isri.org/katrina) to serve as a clearinghouse for matching offers of assistance with those in need. The site also provides links to a variety of aid organizations. As of October, ISRI members had given more than $1.2 million to relief charities—and that is likely only the tip of the iceberg. In addition, ISRI and its chapters had donated more than $75,000 to assist in relief efforts. (A list of donors who have reported their activities to ISRI can be found on the Web site.) "The efforts by ISRI's members to help with this national disaster have been gratifying and overwhelming," Joel Denbo states. "We should be proud of the efforts put forth by our members and our association." Following the storms, ISRI also made an effort to contact all potentially affected members to assess their damage and offer assistance (ISRI members have more than 80 facilities in the affected states). Many escaped with minimal damage, others experienced at least partial flooding, and most reported some type of wind damage. But in all cases, the facilities persevered. That was certainly the case with Kip and Sydney Vincent of Colt Inc., an ISRI tire recycling member in Scott, La. The firm's tire transfer facility in New Orleans was destroyed, eliminating in one swoop about 25 percent of its tire volume. Even as they struggled to get their business back on track, the Vincents opened their hearts and focused on others’ needs in their community. Their main mission has been to help schools in their area, whose enrollment numbers have skyrocketed due to relocated families. According to Sydney, their town of 50,000 has ballooned to 150,000, creating a shortage of basic school items. The Vincents spearheaded the effort to establish a Web site--www.hurricanekatrinaadoptaschool.com/index.html—to match schools in need with those who can help. As of October, ISRI's Scrap Tire Processors Chapter and individual scrap tire members had contributed $4,600 to aid the schools. Now, in the wake of the storms, the scrap industry is playing a vital role in the cleanup and rebuilding stages by doing what it does best—recycling scrap materials into reusable materials. Through these recycling efforts, the scrap industry can help the affected states begin again. “I am confident that our members will show the same spirit of support and professionalism that we have shown in the relief effort,” states Denbo. "And, one day, we can all be proud of our efforts to rebuild this important part of our nation, better and stronger than before." For more information on ISRI's hurricane relief activities, visit www.isri.org/katrina. |
Rail Transportation Issue Remains Hot
Several developments in recent months have kept the rail issue on the front burner of important issues that ISRI is following.
In late September, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) hosted the 2005 North American Railroads Customer Forum in St. Louis, which ISRI staff and several hundred rail shippers from around the country attended. There were presentations by the seven major North American railroads as well as the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association and Chairman Roger Nober of the Surface Transportation Board (STB). While the presentations were general and did not address scrap transportation in any detail, the conference gave ISRI staff the chance to confer informally with railroad and AAR officials, among others.
In October, senior transportation members and staff from ISRI, the Steel Manufacturers Association (SMA), the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI), and the American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) discussed joint areas of concern, including operational, capacity, and customer service issues. Operational concerns center primarily on consistent service/scheduled service and communication. Capacity issues include repair budgets, cars in storage, poor car quality, and car variety, while customer service focuses on accessorial charges and billing errors. Efforts by other groups to address some of these issues were also considered.
Subsequently, officials from ISRI, SMA, and AISI met with STB's chairman and AAR's president and CEO. The goal was to arrange meetings for steel and scrap officials with representatives of individual railroads. That meeting secured commitments for such meetings with senior marketing, customer service, and operations personnel from BNSF, CSX, and Norfolk Southern.
On a related note, CEOs from AF&PA member companies and CEOs of several of the railroads met in October. In general, AF&PA staff indicated that the meeting was successful, prompting further efforts by the paper industry and the railroads on car cleaning and the turn time for boxcars.
On Oct. 19, the STB held hearings and took testimony on the impact, effectiveness, and future of the Staggers Rail Act of 1980. ISRI submitted written comments and attended this hearing. In addition, there were strong indications in October that the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science & Transportation would hold an informal listening session on rail transportation issues. A listening session is not a formal hearing but rather an off-the-record opportunity for rail shippers to meet with senators and their senior staff to discuss their concerns. ISRI planned to participate fully in this meeting.
For more information, contact Steve Hirsch at 202/662-8516 or stevehirsch@isri.org.
ISRI's GRIP Program Continues to Grow
At presstime, ISRI's Grass Roots Implementation Program (GRIP) had signed up more than 1,172 government relations contacts (GRCs) in the industry.
GRCs are individuals within ISRI member companies who are responsible for the government relations activities at their firms and who serve as the point of contact for ISRI on legislative/regulatory issues and action alerts. As a benefit, all GRCs receive the Scrap Caucus, ISRI's e-mail newsletter focused on government relations.
If your company has not provided a GRC to ISRI, contact Billy Johnson at 202/662-8548 or billyjohnson@isri.org.
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2005-06 ISRI Membership Director Corrections
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ISRI in Brief...
- Davis Industries Inc. (Lorton, Va.) offered a tour of its facilities in early September to David Schweitert, staff director of the Senate Subcommittee on Superfund and Hazardous Materials (part of the Environment & Public Works Committee). Schweitert works for Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), chair of the subcommittee. ISRI staff and Davis Industries executives Cricket Williams, Fred Bonnett, and Bill Bukevicz accompanied Schweitert on the tour, which provided an overview of the scrap recycling industry and a look at the company's shredder, shear, and general operations. The participants also discussed national issues facing the scrap industry, including rail-service problems.
- ISRI cautioned the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality not to accept a petition from the San Antonio Manufacturers Association that asked the state to list end-of-life electronics as a universal waste under state regulations because doing so would seriously impair the viability of the electronics recycling industry. Listing end-of-life electronic products as a universal waste ignores the fact that these devices are not waste when they are processed into commodities that are used to create new products. ISRI will continue to work with the Texas commission to reinforce that "scrap is not waste," promote its electronics recycling policy, and explain the benefits of RIOS to regulators and other stakeholders. •