table of contents - electronics recycling wvhtc pr… · the ncer will identify benefits and...

Table of Contents Executive Summary

1. Introduction

1.1. Background of Team Members 2. Summary of Collection Event Data

2.1. Morgantown Event 2.2. Charleston Event 2.3. Berkeley County Events 2.4. Greenbrier Event 2.5. Taylor County Event 2.6. Wood County Event 2.7. Upshur County Event 2.8. Putnam County Event 2.9. Marshall County Event 2.10. Marion County Event 2.11. Small County School Pickup 2.12. Map of Collection Events

3. Results and Lessons Learned by Task

3.1. Task 1: Integrated TPO Recycling Management Services Demonstration 3.1.1. Lessons Learned from Task 1

3.2. Task 2: Local Collection and Demanufacturing Demonstration 3.2.1. Lessons Learned from Task 2

3.3. Task 3: Local Plastics Recycling Demonstration 3.3.1. Results of First Round of Identification and Sorting 3.3.2. Results of Second Round of Identification and Sorting 3.3.3. Results of Third Round of Identification and Sorting 3.3.4. Shredding and Granualtion 3.3.5. Testing and Analysis 3.3.6. Lessons Learned from Plastics Recycling Technology

Demonstration 3.4. Task 4: Lessons Learned Analysis 3.5. Task 5: Environmental Issues

3.5.1. Lessons Learned from Task 5 3.6. Overall Lessons Learned/Future Recommendations

4. Milestones and Budget

4.1. Milestones and Date Achieved

Appendix A: Survey Results from Collection Events Appendix B: Press Releases for Collection Events and Project Appendix C: Compilation of Media Coverage

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Executive Summary

The National Center for Electronics Recycling (NCER) received grant subcontract from the West Virginia High Technology Consortium Foundation (WVHTC) on October 15, 2005. The purpose of the grant project was to demonstrate an economically sound alternative management method for used electronic equipment and associated plastics through a vertically integrated Third Party Organization (TPO)-managed system. Through a series of 9 electronics recycling collection events at various urban and rural locations throughout the state and one school pickup, the NCER – teaming with state and local government representatives, electronics recycler Amandi Services (formerly Envirocycle), and plastics recycler SDR Technologies – prevented 203,520 lbs of electronic equipment from entering state landfills. An additional 33,405 lbs were collected with support of this project but paid for with funds from a separate state recycling grant in Berkeley County. The NCER and team members used the grant funds to support four main tasks: • Integrated TPO Recycling Management Services Demonstration. The NCER

served as a local TPO to arrange for local electronics recycling collection events and recycling activities in West Virginia through contracting with an electronics recycler in Wood County (Amandi).

• Local Collection and Demanufacturing Demonstration. Amandi sent all collected electronics for demanufacturing at its Wood County facility and separated the associated plastics.

• Local Plastics Recycling Demonstration. SDR Technologies received plastics from the demanufactured electronics and performed a series of identification and separation tests to determine the feasibility of using post-consumer electronic scrap plastics in new applications.

• Lessons Learned Analysis. The NCER will identify benefits and lessons learned associated with this vertically integrated approach.

The results of this project demonstrate that the use of a private TPO to coordinate a statewide electronics recycling program is feasible and offers many advantages over other types of system management. The TPO concept could be expanded to incorporate additional states in order to take advantage of management efficiencies and prevent duplication of state-specific efforts. The project also gained valuable insights into the recycling of plastics derived from used electronics. These plastics have traditionally been difficult to recycle due in large part to the variety of plastic resins and additives used in the original manufacturing process, and the testing performed under this project showed which types of plastics hold better potential for use recycled plastics. Overall, the project demonstrated that recycling options for used electronics is in strong demand throughout the state, and the type of system demonstrated in this project holds promise for providing a long-term solution.

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1. Introduction The electronics recycling problem has received growing visibility during recent years, most recently in the passage of mandatory electronics recycling legislation in 4 states (California, Maine, Maryland and Washington) and Congressional hearings and meeting on this topic before subcommittees in 2005 and 2006. Each of these programs is currently being administered by the respective states, but the burden on state government to administer a comprehensive electronics recycling program is a growing concern among many state and federal officials. The National Center for Electronics Recycling (NCER) managed this demonstration project to provide an environmentally and economically sound alternative to disposing used electronic equipment in West Virginia. By partnering with several leading West Virginia companies and organizations, such as Amandi Services, SDR Technologies, the project has demonstrated that West Virginia is on the leading edge of an industry that is likely to expand in the future. Traditionally, solid waste management has been primarily the responsibility of local governments under the oversight and regulation of State governments. Local governments generally establish residential waste collection systems either directly or contract for such services as curbside waste and recyclables collection, provide residential trash and recycling drop-off locations, and operate waste transfer stations, landfills and municipal incinerators. Waste management and recycling programs have generally operated as a coordinated effort between local governments and consumers, and have not until now involved the participation of original manufacturers and vendors of those new products. In the electronics recycling realm, stakeholders from across the spectrum have discussed the need for a new private organization to manage electronics recycling system(s). Such an organization – known commonly as a Third Party Organization or TPO – is seen as a way to offer more flexibility over government-run programs, incorporate manufacturer involvement, work across state lines, and reduce costs. Plastic scrap is produced by electronics recyclers, also known as demanufacturers, and typically sent to a resource recovery facility (incinerator) or exported via brokers. This plastic scrap is called “mixed” as it contains plastics comprised of different resins such as ABS, HIPS and Polycarbonate. These mixed plastics also often include plastics produced with various flame retardant properties (e.g., brominated flame retardants). Finally, depending on the demanufacturing process employed these mixed plastics also include varying levels of non-plastic contaminants such as adhesives, rubber and residual metals. A major challenge within the electronics recycling community is developing a method to effectively recycle high-value plastics through better sorting and identification technologies.

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1.1. Background of Team Members The project team included the NCER, Amandi Services, SDR Technologies, representatives from the West Virginia (WV) Solid Waste Management Board, WV Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), Office of the Small Business Ombudsman and the WV DEP Division of Water & Waste Management, in addition to numerous representatives of county Solid Waste Authorities. National Center for Electronics Recycling Project management was provided by the NCER and its Executive Director. The National Center for Electronics Recycling (NCER) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization formed in 2005 that is dedicated to the development and enhancement of a national infrastructure for the recycling of used electronics in the U.S. through 1) the coordination of initiatives targeting the recycling of used electronics in the United States, 2) participation in pilot projects to advance and encourage electronics recycling, and 3) the development of programs that reduce the burden of government through private management of electronics recycling systems. Amandi Services, Inc. (formerly Envirocycle and NxtCycle). Amandi is a Hallstead, Pennsylvania-based company that specializes in end-of-life electronics recovery and recycling. Under this project, Amandi Services served as the collector and processor of used electronics for each event in the state. Amandi has a long history in the electronics recycling business. They were the first company in the world to provide closed-loop recycling of post consumer Cathode Ray Tubes (1991), the first nationwide collection program for television repair facilities within the industry (1996) and the first nationwide residential return program of obsolete electronics for a major computer manufacturer (2000). SDR Technologies Plastics recycling activities in this grant were performed by SDR Technologies. SDR Technologies is a new West Virginia company created as a subsidiary to SDR Plastics, Inc. SDR Plastics has been serving the plastics industry with a growing portfolio of offerings since 1989. The company has undergone major expansion through the years, with the most significant growth coming in the formation of its spin-off sister company STAR Plastics. SDR, STAR and SDR Technologies work together to recycle post-industrial and selective post-consumer plastic resin into pellets for use in the injection molding industry.

WV Solid Waste Management Board, Department of Environmental Protection, and County Solid Waste Authorities

Working closely with the NCER, statewide coordination was provided by representatives from the Solid Waste Management Board and two divisions within the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (WV DEP). For each event, a representative from the local county Solid Waste Authority was also involved. Although the state and local agencies did not receive funding from this grant, their staff provided many

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contributions to the overall effort by coordinating event locations and times, conducting and compiling participant surveys, and providing a pre-event review of each site.

2. Summary of Collection Event Data

The grant team scheduled 9 collection events that were conducted and managed by grant team staff at various locations across the state. Each event had certain common characteristics, such as:

• Products Accepted: Answering machines, Camcorders, Compact disc players, Copiers, Duplicators, Electric typewriters, Fax machines, Hard drives, Laptops, Mobile phones, Modems, Pagers, Personal computers (CPU, monitors, keyboards, mouse, and peripherals), Printers, Printed circuit boards, Radios, Remote controls, Stereos, Tape players, Telephones and telephone equipment, Televisions, VCR’s, Word Processors

o Products Not Accepted: Microwaves, Smoke Detectors, Large Household Appliances such as Refrigerators, Washing Machines, and Air Conditioners

• Drive-Through Event: At each location, traffic cones were placed to direct vehicles to a set of Gaylord boxes on pallets. There, recycler employers or temporary workers would unload each vehicle and place them into the boxes on pallets. Participants were encouraged to remain in their vehicles to keep the traffic flow moving. Either before or after dropping off their equipment, a survey was taken for each participant (vehicle).

• Held on Saturday for 5-6 Hours: In order to maximize participation by individuals that work on weekdays, each event was held on a Saturday (except for the first day of the Taylor County event held on a Friday).

• Unit Limit per Vehicle: The first two events limited participant to bring up to 5 units per vehicle (excluding small items such as keyboard, mice, and cell phones). After the first two events, the grant team decided that 10 units would be more appropriate. This limit was put in place to prevent larger businesses from taking advantage of the collection event and overwhelming the event with large quantities of equipment. Many large businesses are required by law to properly dispose of their electronic equipment, and have recycling options available that households and small businesses do not.

• Visible/Easy to Find Locations: The grant team sought out locations that would be known and easy to find for members of the local community. As explained below, events were held at 4 retail locations (Best Buy, Ames Plaza, Grand Central Mall, and Home Depot), one high school, one government building, two fairgrounds, and one well-known building visible from a major interstate.

• Staffed by Recycler with Volunteers for Logistics/Surveys: Due to insurance restrictions, all personnel involved with physically removing equipment and were either Amandi employees or temporary labor hired by the recyclers. Other volunteers, which at all events included staff from the WV Solid Waste Management Board, DEP, NCER, and County Solid Waste Authorities

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performed duties such as taking surveys, directing traffic, and counting brands received of desktop computers, laptop computers, TVs, and computer monitors.

• Sponsorship from Seven Major Manufacturers: At the outset of the program, support from the program was sought from several major manufacturers who have worked with Amandi in the past. Five manufacturers had existing relationships with the recycler that allowed Amandi to bill for the recycling costs of their amount of branded products received at various collection events: JVC, Lexmark, Panasonic, Sony, and Sharp. Two additional manufacturers agreed to the same type of sponsorship for the WV collection event program: Philips and Toshiba. These sponsors received recognition throughout the year in flyers, press releases, and on team member websites.

• Coordination and Sponsorship from Local Solid Waste Authority: For every event, grant team members contacted the county Solid Waste Authority. For some events, the SWA provided advice over the phone regarding locations and promotion best practices. In others, SWA representatives were very involved in setting, managing, and handled publicity for the event. In a few counties, SWA funded advertising in local print, radio, or TV media.

2.1 Morgantown Event: February 25, 2006

Facts:

• Amount Collected: 14,240 lbs • First NCER Collection Event • In addition to main event sponsors, sponsored by Best Buy headquarters

(advertising) and local Granville store (free use of parking lot). • 197 vehicles dropped off equipment during the event • Unit totals were tallied for monitors, desktops, TVs, and laptops (conservative

estimates): o 150 monitors o 44 TVs o 114 desktops o 10 laptops

• Brands received are highlighted in the NCER’s Brand Data Management System at: http://www.electronicsrecycling.org/BDMS/Reports/Datasource.aspx?datasourceid=30;&producttypeid=1;2;3;4;

• Survey of Event Participants was taken

Advertising/Media Coverage:

• Press release sent to local media • A Flyer was distributed to event participants to advertise our website, partners and

future recycling events • The event received advance press coverage from the Morgantown Dominion Post

(articles and paid ads from Best Buy), WAJR Radio 1440-AM, Preston Penny Saver (ad from NCER) and the WVU Daily Athenaeum

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http://www.electronicsrecycling.org/BDMS/Reports/Datasource.aspx?datasourceid=30;&producttypeid=1;2;3;4;


http://www.electronicsrecycling.com/NCER/UserDocuments/Survey Statistics Summary 2006.doc

• During the event, two local television stations - WDTV Channel 5 and WBOY Channel 12 - provided coverage

• Completed wrap-up of event and posted on NCER website at: http://www.electronicsrecycling.com/NCER/ContentPage.aspx?Pageid=22&ParentID=18

2.2 Charleston Event: April 29, 2006 Facts:

• Amount Collected: 33,238 lbs • 2nd largest event of the year • Held at Department of Environmental Protection headquarters’ parking lot • Collected over twice as much as the first event • Sponsored by WV DEP (free use of parking lot) in addition to main program

sponsors • Over 370 vehicles dropped off equipment during the event. • Unit totals were tallied for monitors, desktops, TVs, and laptops:

o 204 monitors o 66 TVs o 224 desktops o 14 laptops


• Survey of Event Participants was taken


• Press release sent to local media • Flyer was distributed to event participants to advertise website, partners and

future recycling events • The event received advance press coverage from the Charleston Daily Mail,

Charleston Gazette, the State Journal, and the Huntington News Network • During the event, two local television stations - WOWK Channel 13 and WCHS

Channel 8 - provided coverage. • Radio/TV ads through the DEP REAP program • Secured in-kind advertising assistance from DEP’s Rehabilitation Environmental

Action Plan (REAP) program. As a result, radio ads promoting the April 29th and all future recycling events were broadcast on a statewide radio and TV network of stations.

• Completed wrap-up of event and posted on NCER website at: http://www.electronicsrecycling.com/NCER/ContentPage.aspx?Pageid=24&ParentID=18

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http://www.electronicsrecycling.com/NCER/ContentPage.aspx?Pageid=22&ParentID=18





http://www.dailymail.com/news/Business/2006042713

http://www.huntingtonnews.net/state/060417-staff-recycling.html

http://wowktv.com/story.cfm?func=viewstory&storyid=10527



2.3 Berkeley County Events: May 6 and June 10, 2006

Facts:

• Amount Collected: 17,910 lbs on May 6 and 16,495 on June 10 • Held at Berkeley County Grapevine Recycling Center • Sponsored by NCER and WV program through a Memorandum of Understanding

with the Berkeley County Solid Waste Authority • Over 400 vehicles dropped off equipment during the June event • Unit totals were tallied at the June event for monitors, desktops, TVs, and laptops

(conservative estimates): 171 monitors 71 TVs 145 desktops 2 laptops

• Brands tallied at June event and data are available in the NCER’s Brand Data Management System at: http://www.electronicsrecycling.org/NCER/ContentPage.aspx?Pageid=49&ParentID=18

• Because the event costs were under the $17,000 available from the WV Solid Waste Management Board grant, no costs were incurred under the NCER-WVHTC Subcontract.


• Press release sent to local media • Had two banners at the recycling center for two weeks prior to the events • Had three newspaper articles in two different newspapers the week prior to the

events • Had one radio interview which ran three times two days prior to the events • Radio/TV ads through the DEP REAP program • Mass distribution of 500 flyers • Posted the events on a local electronic bulletin board • Completed wrap-up of event and posted on NCER website available at:


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http://www.electronicsrecycling.org/NCER/ContentPage.aspx?Pageid=49&ParentID=18




2.4 Greenbrier County Event: July 15, 2006

Facts:

• Amount Collected: 19,607 lbs • First rural electronics collection (held at Lewisburg State Fairgrounds) • 72 vehicles dropped off equipment during the event, and the Greenbrier School

Board delivered 3 panel truckloads • Survey of Event Participants was taken • Unit totals were tallied for monitors, desktops, TVs, and laptops (excluding loads

from Greenbrier School): 36 monitors 29 TVs 36 desktops 0 laptops



• Press release sent to local media, articles appeared in Mountain Messenger prior to event

• Radio/TV ads through the DEP REAP program • Completed wrap-up of event and posted on NCER website available at:


2.5 Taylor County Event: July 21 and 22, 2006 Facts:

• Amount Collected: 5,168 lbs (13 gaylords) • Held at Taylor County Fairgrounds for 2 consecutive days from 9AM-12PM. • Managed by Taylor County Solid Waste Authority (no recycler, NCER, or DEP

staff on site). NCER and Amandi arranged for pickup run of collected electronics after the Upshur County collection event.

• Survey of Event Participants was taken (results attached) • Numerous types of electronics were returned. • WV Solid Waste Management Board held discussions with Taylor SWA

representatives regarding future events/collection programs. Advertising/Media Coverage:

• Press release sent to local media

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2.6 Wood County Event: July 22, 2006

Facts:

• Amount Collected: 49,633 lbs • Most successful event of the year • Sponsored by Wood County Solid Waste Authority (advertising) and Grand

Central Mall (free use of parking lot) in addition to main program sponsors. • 400- 450 vehicles dropped off equipment during the event • Survey of Event Participants was taken • Unit totals were tallied at the Amandi facility following the event for monitors,

desktops, TVs, and laptops: 274 monitors 117 TVs 259 desktops 0 laptops



• Sent press release to WV media list on July 7 • Project manager presented before the Wood County Commission July 19th. • Local media (WTAP-TV and Parkersburg News and Sentinel) featured articles

and stories on the event during the week of July 19-22 • Arranged with Vienna City Mayor to display event info on Vienna electronic sign

off of Grand Central Avenue • Radio/TV ads through the DEP REAP program • Wood County Solid Waste Authority sponsored the event by providing local

advertising in the Parkersburg News and Sentinel, Mid-Ohio Valley Bulletin Board, and all local Clear Channel radio stations.

• Completed wrap-up of event and posted on NCER website: http://www.electronicsrecycling.org/NCER/ContentPage.aspx?Pageid=36&ParentID=18

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2.7 Upshur County Event: July 29, 2006

Facts:

• Amount Collected: 14,752 lbs • Sponsored by Ames Plaza (free use of parking lot) in addition to main program

sponsors. • 100 vehicles dropped off equipment during the event • Survey of Event Participants was taken • Brands received are highlighted in the NCER’s Brand Data Management System at:



• Press release sent to local media • Radio/TV ads through the DEP REAP program • Completed wrap-up of event and posted on NCER website. Available at:


2.8 Putnam County Event: August 19, 2006

Facts:

• Amount Collected: 17,592 lbs • Sponsored by Home Depot (free use of parking lot) in addition to main program

sponsors • 150 vehicles dropped off equipment during the event • Survey of Event Participants was taken


• Press release sent to local media • Advertising provided by Putnam County SWA (local promotion) in collaboration

with main program sponsors. • Radio/TV ads through the DEP REAP program • Completed wrap-up of event and posted on NCER website available at:


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2.9 Marshall County Event

Facts:

• Amount Collected: 12,153 lbs • Sponsored by WVHTC Foundation Wheeling Office (local promotion), Marshall

County SWA and Marshall County schools (free use of parking lot) in addition to main program sponsors.

• 150 vehicles dropped off equipment during the event • Survey of Event Participants was taken • Unit totals were tallied for monitors, desktops, TVs, and laptops:

79 monitors 42 TVs 56 desktops 2 laptops



• Press release sent to local media • Articles appeared in the Wheeling Intelligencer and Moundsville Daily Echo • Ads ran in the Moundville Daily Echo (NCER) • Story appeared on WTOV9 News on the Wheeling local TV station. They

interviewed the head of the WVHTC office about the grant and our program. The coverage we received can also be found on the WTOV9 website at: http://www.wtov9.com/news/9812781/detail.html



2.10 Marion County Event: September 30, 2006 Facts:

• Amount Collected: 25,301 lbs • Third largest event of the year • 210 vehicles dropped off equipment during the event • Unit totals were tallied for monitors, desktops, TVs, and laptops:

218 monitors 81 TVs 195 desktops 23 laptops

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http://www.wtov9.com/news/9812781/detail.html





• Front page article in the Times-WV. The article may also be accessed online at: http://www.timeswv.com/local/local_story_272042230.html

• Press release sent to local media • Radio/TV ads through the DEP REAP program • Marion County SWA ran radio ads on a local station 10 times/day on 94.3 FM,

920AM and 1490AM • Announcement was posted on the WVU intranet • Announcement went out to all WVHTC affiliate companies • Marion County SWA and WVHTC distributed flyers to local businesses and

around the WVHTC building • Lighted sign next to the city building in Barrackville displayed event information • NCER placed newspaper ads in the Times-WV (Wed and Fri) and Dominion Post

(Fri and Sat) • Completed wrap-up of event and posted on NCER website available at:


2.11 Small County School Pickup: October 30, 2006

Facts:

• Amount collected: 11,836 lbs • Scheduled one-day pickup from two school systems in local small counties:

Ritchie and Wirt. Doddridge County schools were also interested and had a backlog of outdated equipment, but due to logistical problems associated with semi-trailers not being able to access the high school where the equipment was located, did not participate.

• Completed wrap-up of event and posted on NCER website available at: http://www.electronicsrecycling.com/NCER/ContentPage.aspx?Pageid=53&ParentID=18

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http://www.timeswv.com/local/local_story_272042230.html



2.12 Map of Collection Events by County (Excluding School Pickup)

3. Results and Lessons Learned by Task

3.1. Task 1: Integrated TPO Recycling Management Services Demonstration The NCER piloted the viability and value of a vertically-integrated local electronics recycling TPO. By acting as a Third Party Organization that manages the electronics recycling system for the state, the NCER was able to develop the contractual, reporting, financial, and management systems necessary for a larger scale program. As the state recycling TPO, the NCER performed the following tasks:

• Arranged (with the Solid Waste Management Board), promoted, and staffed eight electronics collection events in West Virginia. The NCER drafted press releases prior to each event and distributed them to a statewide media list. The NCER worked with SWMB, local Solid Waste Authorities, and others to set the times and locations for each event, schedule the event with the recycler, and field telephone calls and email information requests on each event. Promotional information also directed residents to information posted and updated on the NCER website.

• As the main holder of the WVHTC grant subcontract, the NCER developed and finalized contracts with the electronics recycler (Amandi) to operate actual

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collection and demanufacturing activities in West Virginia. The contract included Environmentally Sound Management (ESM) guidelines that required the recycler to follow the standards developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in support of the Plug-in to E-Cycling pilots (http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/osw/conserve/plugin/guide.htm). The contract also required certain data to be reported to the NCER for each monthly progress and to track overall progress. As part of this data tracking effort, the NCER and Amandi worked together to input collection event data into the NCER’s online national database, known as the Centralized Data Repository (http://www.electronicsrecycling.org/cdr/).

• Developed and finalized a contract with the plastics recycler outlined duties associated with the grant, and required best environmental practice methods.

• Performed site assessments at the electronics recycling facility and plastics recycling facility, which included interviews with key personnel, were conducted by the NCER to ensure that materials were being handled in the manner described in their respective contracts.

• All reporting to the WVHTC Foundation, including tracking of labor and direct costs, information on collection/recycling activities, and coordination of media efforts were also carried out by the NCER as the main program oversight entity.

• Reported and communication information to the public on the program through website updates, adding collection event data to a national database, press releases, flyers and media interview.

3.1.1. Lessons Learned from Task 1

As the Third-Party Organization for the West Virginia electronics recycling program in 2006, the NCER gained valuable experience on how a statewide program could operate on a long-term basis. Experience in other industries has shown that privately run recycling organizations can operate effectively and reduce the use of government resources. Although private systems for each product stream cannot completely replace government waste collection systems, nor can they operate without government oversight and involvement, they can offer a way to reduce the burden of government resources and offer citizens convenient recycling options. Specific insights gained from this project include: • A private management entity can offer advantages over government

management: As a private entity, the NCER was more flexible in creating contracting arrangements, choosing personnel, and paying invoices for services form the recycler than a government agency would be.

• A privately run program still requires much coordination with government: The program would not have been successful without the active involvement of several government agencies. State government agencies knew the appropriate contacts in each county to work with in establishing suitable locations and times for each event. Local government Solid Waste Authorities had the expertise in promoting local events in order to maximize turnout. Without the involvement of

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http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/osw/conserve/plugin/guide.htm

http://www.electronicsrecycling.org/cdr/

these government entities, the NCER would have required much more staff resources and time in order to plan all the of necessary details for each event.

• The program run in West Virginia could be replicated across state lines: Although limited to one state under this program, the events and overall program could be expanded to incorporate one or more states. While more events in other states would require additional funding sources, such coordination could take advantage of administrative efficiencies and possibly reduce recycling costs over time due to the greater volumes of material being processed.

3.2. Task 2: Local Collection and Demanufacturing Demonstration A full summary of each event can be found in section 2, and the overall survey results of event participants is included in Appendix B.

3.2.1. Lessons Learned from Task 2 The grant team learned from each event and was able to make adjustments as the program continued throughout the year. At the outset of the program, the grant team decided to pursue one or possibly two-day events throughout the state that would target households and small businesses. One day events turned out to be simpler to manage in terms of logistics (having truck and forklift stay at location overnight), staffing (recycler hiring temporary labor), and practicality (avoids concerns over weekday traffic). The recycling team decided to target residents and small businesses due to the lack of recycling options compared to larger businesses and the ability to hold more events overall if quantities were limited at each event. The lessons learned as a result of this task were:

• Advertising (free and paid) has a significant impact on turnout: In event where local advertising and free media articles were more prevalent, turnout tended to be higher. Not all efforts required funding, however. In several counties, local businesses and government helped spread the word through innovative methods such as flyers attached to pizza boxes, speeches in front County Commissioner (generating free media articles), local email distribution lists, and internal university communication newsletters.

• Free use of location for events is key: Event locations that are visible and known to many in the community were sought for every event. However, the project did not seek use of any location that charged for the use of its parking lot.

• Newspaper advertisements and articles were the most effective means of communication: Over half of the participants heard about the event through newspaper ads and/or articles. While other types of media communication were also effective, the surveys showed that either engaging a newspaper reporter or paying for a newspaper ad had the biggest impact on encouraging participation.

• Brand counting at a collection event is possible in most cases: NCER staff recorded the brands of TVs, monitors, desktop computers, and laptop computers at all events except for Upshur and Taylor counties. Normally, this process works

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well in an event with a steady flow of traffic. However, brand counting was not possible at the Wood County event due to the high volume of traffic for most of the day. Traffic flow and minimization of waiting time for participants was a higher priority for that event, therefore Amandi staff performed the brand count for these products at the facility. Amandi staff remarked that brand counting as products are removed from the stack and prepared for disassembly slows down their overall production rate. Table 1 shows the top ten brands received by product category:

Table 1: Top Brands Recorded by Product Category

TELEVISION MONITOR

Brand Brand 1 RCA Gateway 2 Zenith Dell 3 GE (Thomson) Compaq 4 Magnavox IBM 5 Panasonic Unknown 6 Sears Packard Bell 7 Sony Apple 8 Unknown NEC 9 Sanyo Hewlett Packard 10 Emerson CTX LAPTOP DESKTOP

Brand Brand 1 Gateway Unknown 2 Compaq Gateway 3 Toshiba Compaq 4 Dell Dell 5 IBM IBM 6 Apple Apple 7 Twinhead Hewlett Packard 8 Zenith Data Packard Bell 9 Micron Tandy 10 8 Brands Tied: Amber,

CTX, Featron, Fujitsu, Magitronic, Northgate Computer Systems, Ultra, Win Book

eMachines

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• Electronic communication is a free and effective communication method: After newspapers, most participants heard about the events through either email or “word of mouth.” It is possible that many respondents in the “word of mouth” category were receiving information from an electronic source originally. In the current age of instant communications, it is helpful to seek out individuals or organizations that can spread event announcements to others in their local community via email or simple website postings.

• A 10-unit limit is an effective method: The first two events limited participants to 5 devices per vehicle, but later events proved that a 10 unit limit did not overwhelm each event or encourage large business participation. Generally, vehicles dropped off many fewer than 10 units, but the limit was practical for residents that had accumulated several years’ worth of devices in their households.

• Events advertised with unit drop-off limits attract few non-residential participants. Participation in open collection events was dominated by residents with less than 10% coming from non-residential or hybrid (e.g., business and residential) users. The project did not track the original use of dropped-off equipment, so the fraction of IT equipment acquired originally for business purposes is not known.

• Scheduling far in advance gives more opportunity for success: Scheduling an event requires the coordination of many individuals’ and organizations’ schedules. Most importantly, the recycler managing the event must be available to schedule trailer and forklift drop-off and pickup, and have staff and temporary labor available. In this program, no events were scheduled in June due to scheduling conflicts with the recycler holding large events in other states.

• A typical collection event in the state will collect less than 0.5 lbs per person in the county: Data presented in Table 1 show the breakdown of pounds collected per capita for each county’s event. While the events did not exclude participants from other counties, the population of each gives a good estimate of the pool of potential participants (note that participation by residents from surrounding counties suggests that actual pounds per capita for any given jurisdiction, particularly more rural jurisdictions, may be slightly lower). Overall, the program collected 0.31 lbs per county resident. On average, the events would collect 0.36 lbs per capita. These numbers, while low compared to states with established programs, are typical for periodic collection events.

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Table 2: Pounds per Capita Collected by Event County Population Pounds

Collected Pounds collected per capita

Monongalia 81866 14240 0.17 Kanawha 200073 33238 0.17 Berkeley 1 75905 17910 0.24 Berkeley 2 75905 16495 0.22 Greenbrier 34453 19607 0.57 Taylor 16089 5168 0.32 Wood 87986 49633 0.56 Upshur 23404 14752 0.63 Putnam 51589 17592 0.34 Marshall 35519 12153 0.34 Marion 56598 25301 0.45 Total 739387 226089 0.31 Average

lbs/capita 0.36

• Rural events have higher costs per pound collected: The program targeted 2-3

events in rural areas for a comparison of costs and collection methods with urban areas. Rural areas were not part of the 2002 program. The data in Table 2 show that rural areas (in italics) are more expensive per pound due to the lower overall poundage that is collected (due to lower population to draw from), and higher transportation costs to get collected product back to the recycling facility. Taylor County was an exception to this trend due to the fact that no staging costs were included as it was an event managed by the local SWA. Had staging costs been included for this event, it would have been the most expensive event on a per pound basis ($0.52/lb). This suggests that ongoing events where local governments host collection may be a cost-effective option for future programs. Another outlier in the below data is the cost per pound for the Morgantown (Monongalia County) event. This low overall amount collected at this event could have been due to the cold-weather, 5 unit limit per vehicle, and scheduling against a West Virginia University basketball home game two miles from the event.

- 17 -

Table 3: Cost per Pound by Event

County Pounds Collected

Total Event Cost

Cost per pound per event

Costs included notes

Monongalia 14240 $4,538.85 $0.3187 Recycling*, shipping and staging Kanawha 33238 $7,397.77 $0.2226 Recycling* fee, shipping and stagingGreenbrier 19607 $4,899.06 $0.2499 Recycling* fee, shipping and staging Taylor 5168 $930.15 $0.1800 Recycling* and shipping only Wood 49633 $9,587.25 $0.1932 Recycling* fee, shipping and staging

fee Upshur 14752 $4,244.19 $0.2877 Recycling* fee, shipping and staging

fee Putnam 17592 $4,791.00 $0.2723 Recycling* fee, shipping and staging

fee Marshall 12153 $3,799.80 $0.3127 Recycling* fee, shipping and staging

fee Marion 25301 $6,269.67 $0.2478 Recycling* fee, shipping and staging

fee Total 226089 $46,457.74 *all recycling costs minus credit for

sponsor manufacturers’ share

3.3. Task 3: Local Plastics Recycling Demonstration SDRT performed several rounds of identification, sorting, and testing for the plastics collected at various collection events. All work was performed at Star Plastics located in Millwood, WV. The first round occurred in April when SDRT identified, sorted, and disassembled a total of 2,528lbs of e-waste plastic materials, a second round was performed in August, and a third in September. Due to contamination such as screws, wires, labels, foams and foreign polymer attached to the plastics, it was necessary to perform a secondary level of disassembly at the plastics recycler facility.

3.3.1. Results of First Round of Identification and Sorting During the first round of testing performed in April, ABS materials constituted the majority of e-waste plastics (47.2%) which are mostly in the form of monitors. Others/No ID constituted the second largest volume of sorted e-waste materials at 25.3% of the total volume. See Table 4 below. See Figure one below for a layout of the plastics identification line. The others/No ID comprised of a multitude of undesirable plastic materials such as Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC), Polyphenylene oxide (PPO), Polyoxymethylene (POM), Polyphenylene Sulfide(PPS), and various forms of nylon. These materials are in such small quantity, if broken down into individual material types, their market value is very

- 18 -

insignificant. Another item of note: these materials are almost always viewed as extremely undesirable if the plastics recycling/re-processing facility is not set up properly to handle them. PVC and POM if melted together in an extrusion process would cause a very adverse reaction to both the extrusion equipment and to the operator who is overseeing this operation. The two materials would generate noxious gases and burn in the heated extruder. Therefore, SDR Tech has selected only ABS, HIPS, PC, & PC/ABS. These materials have a much high recyclable value in the market and are the types of materials Star Plastics is currently re-processing in their facility.

Table 4: Plastics ID by Type from April Testing

Plastic Type ABS HIPS PCABS PC Other/No

ID Scrap* Total Wt Hrs worked lbs/Hr Date

4/20/2006 300 111 73 0 207 - 691 6 115

4/21/2006 139 95 18 0 133 - 385 5 77

4/24/2006 282 116 42 0 138 - 578 5.75 101

4/25/2006 342 78 19 0 131 - 570 7 81

4/26/2006 129 14 20 16 30 95 209 2 105

Totals 1,192 414 172

16

639

95 2,528 25.75

98.17

% 47.2 16.4 6.8 0.6 25.3 3.8 - - - *Scraps constitute acoustical foams, screws, metal clips and other forms of foreign wastes that are attached to the e-waste plastics.

Table 5: Pie Graph of Plastics by Type from April Testing

lbs of ID materials

ABS, 1192, 47%

HIPS, 414, 16%

PCABS, 172, 7%

PC , 16, 1%

Other/No ID, 639, 25%

Scrap, 95, 4% ABS

HIPS

PCABS

PC

Other/No ID

Scrap

- 19 -

Figure 1: Plastics ID Line Layout

PC

PC

/AB

S

HIPS

Box Dumper ofunidentifiedEOLE parts

4'

PCHIPS

PC/ABS

Other/No ID

AB

S

Secondary Disassembly

mIRoSpark

Figure 1

Conveyor

Conveyor D

irection

3.3.2. Results of Second Round of Identification and Sorting

SDRT identified, sorted and disassembled a total of 3,145 lbs of e-waste plastic materials from Amandi Services in July 2006. As in the first round of identification and sorting, SDR Technologies performed a secondary disassembly to remove any contamination that could pose a risk to downstream processing equipment as well as negatively impact the physical performance properties of the sorted materials. The types of contamination that were removed in the secondary process involves CRT boards, (metals which include screw and wires) foams and foreign polymers. Once again the ABS (50.9%) constituted the highest volume of the sorted e-waste plastics. Polystyrene (HIPS) constituted the second highest volume fraction at 21.8%. The HIPS fraction was further subdivided into HIPS-gray and HIPS-black. HIPS-gray is generally I.T. computer equipment and constituted 7.9% of the Charleston volume and the HIPS-

- 20 -

black is television housings and constituted 13.9% of this volume. See table 6 and 7 for a complete breakdown of the identified and sorted plastics from the Charleston collection event.

Table 6: Plastics ID by Type from July Testing

Plastic Type ABS

HIPS-Gry

HIPS-Blk PCABS PC

Other/No ID Scrap*

Total Wt

Hrs worked lbs/Hr

Date 6/30/2006 503 0 0 98 0 105 0 706 6 117.7 7/5/2006 365 121 0 0 0 106 0 592 6 98.7 7/6/2006 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.0 7/7/2006 228 126 0 0 0 101 0 455 6 75.8 7/10/2006 182 0 0 0 0 0 34 216 4 54.0 7/11/2006 95 0 0 0 0 0 0 95 6 15.8 7/12/2006 0 0 77 0 0 207 20 304 6 50.7 7/13/2006 55 0 361 45 27 107 0 595 6 99.2 7/14/2006 174 0 0 0 0 0 8 182 2 91.0

Totals 1,602 247 438 143 27 626 62

3,145 25.75 67.0 % 50.9% 7.9% 13.9% 4.5% 0.9% 19.9% 2.0% - - -

Table 7: Pie Graph of Plastics by Type from July Testing

No ID, 626, 20%

HIPS MX, 247, 8%

HIPS BK, 438, 14%

PC, 27, 1%

ABS, 1,602, 50%

Contamination, 62, 2%

PCABS, 143, 5% ABS

No ID

HIPS MX

HIPS BK

PCABS

PC

Contamination

- 21 -

Results of Third Round of Identification and Sorting SDR Technologies identified the plastics, removed any secondary contamination from the plastics which would include items such as foam inserts, metal screw, metal clips, labels and foreign polymers. These plastics were then sorted into designated boxes using the IoSys mIRoSpark polymer identification equipment. Figure 4 displays the layout of the plastics identification line, and Table 8 shows the breakdown of plastics types for this final round of identification. Table 9 shows the overall breakdown of the three rounds of testing. There are to be four different types of plastics sorted on the identification line; these included Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS), High Impact Polystyrene (HIPS) Polycarbonate (PC) and Polycarbonate/Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (PCABS) which is a co-polymer combining PC and ABS. These four materials are termed in the industry as engineering grade polymers. There are multiple types of plastics from electronics but we selected these due to the fact that they comprise the highest volume, have a much higher recyclable value in the market and are the types of plastics with which SDR Technologies and Star Plastics is most familiar. The others/No ID plastics comprised a multitude of undesirable plastic materials such as Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC), Polyphenylene oxide (PPO), Polyoxymethylene (POM), Polyphenylene Sulfide(PPS), and various forms of nylon. These materials are in such small quantity, if they were to be sorted into individual bins they would make up an insignificant volume. Another item of note, these plastic materials are viewed as extremely undesirable, if the plastics recycling/re-processing facility in not set up properly to handle these plastics potential issues such as contamination with other plastics types may occur. Plastics such as PVC and POM, which are plastics that SDR Technologies considers contamination, are re-melted together in an extrusion process it would cause a very adverse reaction to both the extrusion equipment and to the operator who is overseeing this operation. Theses two materials would generate noxious gases and burn in the heated extruder.

Table 8: Plastics ID by Type from September Testing

ID #3 Plastic Type ABS HIPS-Gry HIPS-Blk PCABS PC Other/No ID Contamination Total Wt

Totals 2,196 802 - 969 - 4,687 204 8,858 % 24.8% 9.1% - 10.9% - 52.9% 2.3% -

Table 9: Plastics ID by Type Overall

Total Identified Plastic Type ABS HIPS-Gry HIPS-Blk PCABS PC Other/No ID Contamination Total Wt

Totals 4,990 1,463 438 1,284 43 5,952 361 14,531 % 34.3% 10.1% 3.0% 8.8% 0.3% 41.0% 2.5% -

- 22 -

3.3.3. Shredding and Granulation The identified and sorted plastic materials from the Charleston event were combined with the materials from the Morgantown event and processed on Star Plastics’ size reduced reduction equipment. This is a necessary process due to the fact that the plastic materials that are identified and sorted are still in large homogenous part form. Therefore, the sorted and identified parts are combined with other parts of the same material type and processed through a shredder and then further processed through a granulator reducing the plastics to a 3/8” granule size. A total of 2,288 lbs of ABS was processed and 812 lbs of HIPS material was processed as well. The ABS processed at a rate of 134lbs/hr while the HIPS material processed at a rate 91lbs/hr. These rates are below Star’s standard processing rates. The parts that were processed were generally large bulky items and our shredder had a difficulty grabbing and shredding the larger parts. This significantly slowed down the process. In the future, Star Plastics’ shredder will need to be upgraded to handle these large, bulky parts. One item that we will investigate is adding a hydraulically driven piston crammer that will force the parts into the shredder’s cutting teeth.

3.3.4. Testing and Analysis The lab at Star completed the testing analysis of the ABS and the HIPS materials. The testing analyses that were performed were:

• Composite analysis – the composite analysis is an in-house developed test where 30 randomly drawn granulated pieces plastics are identified using the mIRoSpark. This provides insight as to the overall composition of the granulated material by allowing us to gauge the amount of foreign polymer within the identified and sorted materials. Ideally, we would want a 100% composition of the identified and sorted plastic with no foreign plastics are found.

The composition of the granulated ABS was 90% ABS and 10% ABSPVC co-polymer. ABSPVC is a material that is no longer used in the manufacturing of computer equipment. It was phased out by the manufacturers on or around 1995. The presence of ABSPVC material was surprising given that most of the processed materials appeared to be newer I.T. computer equipment. The positive of this is that no other forms of contamination were found in the composite ABS sample which indicates a fairly clean stream of material. The composition of the HIPS material was a fairly clean stream too with only a 7% contamination of ABS. HIPS and ABS are both styrenic based materials and if mixed in small amounts should not cause any degradation to the HIPS material.

- 23 -

• Notched Izod – this is a measurement of the amount of energy required to fracture

a plastic specimen. The energy is recorded as ft/lbs. The higher the ft/lbs of energy the stronger the plastic is. This test is conducted by clamping the notched end of the specimen in a vice and releasing a free swinging weight down onto the specimen. See Figure 2 for a drawing of the notched specimen and Figure 3 for picture of the testing apparatus.

The ABS exhibited a Notched Izod impact strength of 2.8ft/lbs which indicates very good impact strength. Typically, a non-recycled or virgin ABS used in the manufacturing of I.T. computer equipment would exhibit impact strength of 3.5 or less. This is a reduction of 25% impact strength as compared to the virgin ABS. This reduction in impact strength is representative of what one would expect in recycled materials from the post-consumer sources as compared to that of virgin ABS material. This drop in impact strength can be easily overcome by adding an impact modifier agent to the material when it is compounded back into pellet form. In the second round of testing and analysis, the ABS material exhibited a notched Izod impact of 2.8ft/lbs. Non-recycled or virgin grade ABS plastics used in the manufacturing of computers exhibit a notched Izod of 3.5 The HIPS material exhibited impact strength of 1.5 ft/lbs. This too is somewhat low but again not unexpected when dealing with post-consumer recycled materials. The typical impact value for virgin HIPS is 2.0 which equal a 33% reduction in impact strength. The impact strength again could easily be enhanced by adding an impact modifier. In the second round of testing and analysis, the HIPS material exhibited a notched Izod of 1.5ft/lbs. Virgin grade HIPS materials used in computer plastics exhibit notched Izod impact of 2.0ft/lbs. The impact strength of the HIPS plastic is lower than the typical virgin grade plastics but it could still be recycled into different applications and products.

Figure 2: Diagram of Notched Izod Specimen

1/2"

2 1/

2"

Notched Point

*Not Drawn To Size

- 24 -

Figure 3: Notched Izod Testing Apparatus

Free swinging weight

Vice clamp where plastic specimen is clamped

• Melt Index – is a measurement of the flow rate of the plastic material under

prescribed conditions of temperature and pressure. The test is primarily used as means of measuring uniformity of the flow of the molten plastic material. The flow rate is recorded as g/10min. The test is conducted by filling a heated chamber with plastics material, allowing the material to melt and inserting a rod with a weight attached to the rod to force the material out through an orifice. See Figure 4 of melt indexer test apparatus below.

The melt index flow rate for the recycled ABS is 12.0g/cm3. A typical value for virgin ABS is between 8-10g/10min. This is a very good and acceptable flow rate for post-consumer ABS. In the second round of testing and analysis, the ABS material had a melt index of 12g/10min. Non-recycled or virgin grade ABS plastics used in the manufacturing of computers exhibit a melt index of 9g/10min. Even though the melt index for ABS is high, it exhibits very acceptable physical properties that indicate the ABS plastics could be potentially recycled into different applications and products. The melt index flow rate for the recycled HIPS is 6.4g/10min. The typical value for virgin HIPS is between 4-8g/10min. The HIPS material is well with in the values of virgin grade HIPS material. In the second round of testing and analysis, the HIPS melt index of 6.4g/10min. Virgin grade HIPS materials used in computer plastics exhibit a melt index of 4-8g/10min.

- 25 -

Figure 4: Melt Indexer Testing Apparatus

Heated Chamber

Rod

3.3.5. Lessons Learned from Plastics Recycling Technology

Demonstration

• More Labor Could Increase Output: The productivity revealed by the data indicates that more than one man would need to be required to ID sort, and disassemble the e-waste plastics. The pounds produced per man hours work was minimal. To increase the pounds per hour output, additional personnel will be needed.

• Contamination Decreases Output: The contamination that needs to be removed from the EOLE materials is causing a major bottle neck in the output rate. Higher productivity rates could be obtained if a second person was added to the identification line solely to remove contamination.

• Shredding Equipment Quality Limits Effectiveness: The shredding and granulation productivity rate was not nearly as high as needed due in part to the design of Star Plastics’ shredder unit. The shredder needs to be designed with a hydraulic crammer to force the large EOLE parts into the shredding cutters. The large parts simply just bounce on top of the cutters and do not effectively get

- 26 -

pulled into the cutter teeth to be shredded. This is an equipment limitation that will need to be addressed but not in the scope of this project.

• Baling of plastics severely inhibits the effectiveness of identification and sorting: With bales, the plastics are generally crushed together on top of one another making identification and separation of the plastics extremely challenging. Baling also the removal of contamination difficult due to the fact that the plastics are crushed into one another and separating the plastics is difficult. See Figure 5. Additional issues arose that when the bales of plastics are broken or opened up. Thousands of small plastics pieces of less than a couple of inches would spill out, making the identification process that much slower. Each individual piece needed to be identified. It was agreed that since we were having such a difficult time with the identification of these materials we would put the small pieces into the Other/NoID bin along with the plastics that could not be effectively separated and identified. This significantly raised the amount of contamination. The identification and sorting operation we have installed is just not set up to handle the plastic materials when they come to us in baled form. This was very difficult operation. See Figure 6. In future identifications and sorting of baled plastics parts we will seek engineer technologies that will be able to handle these materials in a better fashion

• Certain Plastic Types Hold Promise for Recycling: The material analysis of the ABS and HIPS was very encouraging. It clearly demonstrated that these materials are able to retain their physical properties and could be recycled back into other products. The impact strength for both the ABS and HIPS will need to be improved but again this can be easily performed by the addition of an impact modifier agent.

Figure 5: Unbaled Plastics

- 27 -

Figure 5: Baled Plastic

3.4. Task 4: Lessons Learned Analysis This final report serves as the Lessons Learned Analysis described in the contract award and grant proposal.

3.5. Task 5: Environmental Issues The NCER, Amandi, and SDR Technologies were responsible for independently assessing the environmental risks in carrying out this project. As part of the contracts with Amandi and SDR-T (see Appendix A), the NCER required both companies to adhere to certain environmentally sound management practices. Amandi takes many precautionary measures to ensure that any environmental risks associated with the handling and demanufacturing of electronics are appropriately managed. Many electronics contain hazardous materials, such as lead in Cathode Ray Tube monitors and televisions, mercury in Liquid Crystal Display monitors and televisions. From the time a device is dropped off, Amandi takes several steps to ensure that it is handled in a responsible manner, such as:

• No volunteer or untrained staff at collection events handling equipment • Equipment is stacked in triple-walled Gaylord boxes, and placed on a pallet to

ensure there is no breakage in transport • Once in the facility, all pallet loads are bar-coded and tracked in their software

system

- 28 -

• Workers are required to wear protective clothing, such as gloves and eyewear to ensure their safety

Materials that result from the demanufacturing process are also handled carefully and tracked to the downstream vendor. The NCER contract required that Amandi follow the practices outlined in EPA’s EPA Plug-in to eCycling Guidlelines for Materials Management found at http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/osw/conserve/plugin/pdf/guide.pdf. Amandi is one of the few electronics recyclers that can process CRT glass (which contains the overwhelming majority of lead found in electronic devices) so that it can be used in new products. The company adheres to strict documentation standards to confirm to customers where resulting materials are sent. Although less of a concern than with demanufacturing whole electronics, SDR-T also handled plastics resulting from Amandi’s breakdown of collected electronics according to their best environmental practices. Similarly to Amandi, all SDR-T workers wear personal protective equipment, such as gloves and dust masks. SDR-T made every effort to limit disposal to contaminated plastics (those with foam, metals or other foreign substances). As mentioned in section 3.3., SDR-T kept certain plastics like PVC and POM are kept separate so as not to cause an adverse reaction in the processing. In the testing and analysis process, identification ensured that only one type of plastic was being tested in each batch. Engineering controls were already in place in lab and testing to reduce risk to harmful chemical exposures for SDR-T employees.

3.5.1. Lessons Learned from Task 5

• Ensure that ESM practices are included in contracts with recyclers: The most practical way to ensure environmental practices at recycling facility is to require certain standards in contracts for services. Although the EPA guidelines are not an official, enforceable document, they do provide a list of best management practices to which every electronics recycler should adhere.

3.6. Overall Lessons Learned/Future Recommendations The project was a tremendous success in raising awareness about the need for electronics recycling in the state. Since the 2002 pilot program, electronics collection events have been sporadic in counties across the state. Some counties, particularly the rural ones, had never hosted an electronics collection before this program. The NCER has applied for a state grant to continue a similar program in 2007 in order to build on this project’s success and test different collection methods.

• Collection events can be effective, but should be tested against ongoing programs: Although the collection event program was highly successful under this project, they are a resource-intensive method of managing used electronics. In other areas of the countries, communities have set up ongoing locations that

- 29 -

http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/osw/conserve/plugin/pdf/guide.pdf

accept electronics at certain hours of the day. That way, residents that are unavailable during the collection event times have an option for disposing of their old devices. Moreover, staging costs of hiring temporary labor, renting extra trailers, and having necessary supplies are reduced for an ongoing program. Events can be effective in generating media interest and coverage, and collecting a backlog of older devices. For some areas, a once or twice per year event will be sufficient for its population. However, larger urban areas may require more ongoing locations where a pickup run from the recycler can be scheduled once a certain volume of electronics has been collected.

• Plans for reusable equipment should be incorporated: For newer computer equipment, refurbishment and resale or donation is an option that can benefit lower-income individuals and families. While residential events yield fewer devices that can be reused, this is a possible element to focus on in future programs. Hard drive erasure would need to be incorporated before any computer turned in at a collection could be resold or donated.

• Rural areas should combine resources: Because of the higher cost per pound due to transportation and fewer over products collection, rural counties should work together on events and programs that target a broader base of potential participants. For example, events could be planned in a central location between 2-3 counties and each county could promote the event and share costs, if necessary.

• Small county school systems should be considered for collection event participation: As shown by the quantities received at the Greenbrier event, and the October school collection drive, many small county school systems lack options and resources to recycle their outdated equipment. These smaller county schools should be allowed to participate in collection events in the future if they provide adequate advance notice and an estimate of the quantity of their material.

• Fee-based programs are possible, but could reduce turnout: Collection events that charge a fee for drop-off would be a possible method to fund future programs, since most participants indicated a willingness to pay a small amount per item. However, participants at each event are also the most likely to seek out recycling opportunities regardless of the cost.

• West Virginia needs a long-term solution for electronics recycling: There is a need for a sustained collection event or ongoing location program due to the high number of survey respondents reporting more than 5 display devices remaining in their house after participating in the collection event. And, the relatively low number of participants per county shows that many residents were not aware of electronics recycling options or were unavailable at the time of the collection events. The 2006 program also did not cover many areas of the state, including some larger metro areas that undoubtedly have large numbers of residents without recycling options.

- 30 -

4. Milestones and Budget

4.1. Milestones and Date Achieved

Milestone Date Achieved Notes Submit Monthly Progress Reports 12/5/05 –

11/5/06 All monthly progress reports were submitted to WVHTC Foundation staff on or before the 5th working day of each month

Complete Technical Management Plan 12/6/05 Complete Spend and Labor Spreadsheet 12/6/05 Submitted to WVHTC Foundation staff

with week-by-week projected detail Publish Press Release Announcing Grant Award

12/16/05 See Appendix C

Finalize Contract with Electronics Recycler

2/16/06 See Appendix A

Schedule/Announce First Collection Event with Press Release

2/16/06 Morgantown Event

Finalize Plastics Recycler Contract 4/2/06 Conduct Outreach to Local Solid Waste Authorities

1/1/06 – 9/30/06

Ongoing effort

Hold First Collection Event 2/25/06 Originally projected for April, but scheduled with Best Buy for February

Hold Additional Events 4/29/06 – 9/30/06

7 additional events after first

Recycle demanufactures electronics 5/1/06 – 10/31/06

Ongoing milestone after each event

Plastics identification and separation 4/20/06 – 10/31/06

Several rounds of ID, testing, and reports completed as shipments of plastics arrived

Submit Lessons Learned report to WVHTC

11/5/06

Grant Team Meeting with WVHTC Not completed

- 31 -

Appendix A: Survey Results from Collection Events Survey of Recycling Event Participants 1. How did you hear about the event?

1. Web Page – 37 2. TV - 105 3. Newspaper - 748 4. Flyer - 58 5. Radio - 86 6. Word of Mouth* - 153 7. Email** - 139 8. Utility Bill - 6 9. Other Responses – 44

Received a total of 1376 responses. * Includes "at work" responses ** Includes WVU Net responses (Morgantown event)

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

2. How far did you travel today to recycle your electronics?

1. < 5 miles - 523 2. 5 - 10 miles - 405 3. 10 - 20 miles - 193 4. 20 miles – 138

Received a total of 1259 responses.

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

1 2 3 4

- 32 -

3. Are your electronics from a: 1. Residence - 1117 2. Business - 74 3. Both - 35 4. Other (not specified) - 30


0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1 2 3 4

4. Who do you think should pay for the safe recycling of electronic products?

1. Consumer – 336 11. Gov/Retailer – 3 2. Retail Store – 37 12. Cons/Ret/Manuf – 6 3. Electronic Manuf. – 275 13. Ret/Manuf/Gov – 3 4. Government – 125 14. Take Back/Trade In – 2 5. All of the above – 202 15. Included in Trash – 3 6. Cons/Gov – 14 16. Recyclers – 45 7. Cons/Retailer – 8 17. Not sure/Nobody – 77 8. Cons/Manuf. – 27 18. Built in to price – 11 9. Retailer/Manuf – 11 19. Other – 64 10. Gov/Manuf – 12 20. Recycler/Manuf. – 1


0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

- 33 -

5. What is the most you would be willing to pay per item to recycle your electronics? 1. $2 - 359 2. $5 - 373 3. $10 - 161 4. $0 - 155 5. $1 - 23 6. $2-$5 - 15 7. $5-$10 - 5 8. $15-$20 - 1 9. $20-$25 - 13 10. $35 - 1 11. Depends/varies - 108 12. No answer - 2 13. Percentage of cost - 16 14. Trash it – 2


0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

6. What is the most convenient way for you to recycle your electronics?

1. Munic. Recycling Center - 562 2. Retail Stores - 99 3. Send to Manufacturer - 13 4. Donate to Charity - 121 5. All of the above - 28 6. Collection Events - 280 7. MRC / Collection Events - 10 8. Retail / Charity - 13 9. MRC / Charity - 45 10. MRC / Retail -17 11. MRC / Retail / Charity - 10 12. MRC / Manuf. - 1 13. Curbside Collections - 29 14. Waste Haulers - 7

- 34 -

15. Not Specified / Not Sure – 15 16. Charity / Collection Event - 3 17. MRC / Retail / Col. Event - 1 18. MRC / Retail / Manuf. – 1 19. MRC / Curbside - 1 20. Manuf. / Retail Store - 1 21. MRC / Charity / Collection – 1


0

100

200

300

400

500

600

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21

7. How many computer monitors and TVs do you have at home right now?

1. 0-2 – 257 2. 3-4 – 461 3. 5 or more - 542


0

100

200

300

400

500

600

1 2 3

- 35 -

8. How many households does your vehicle represent? 1. 1 – 1146 2. 2 – 78 3. 3 – 7 4. More than 3 – 16


0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

1 2 3 4

- 36 -

Appendix B: Press Releases for Collection Events and Project

• Morgantown Event Press Releases

For Immediate Release Contacts: NCER: Jason Linnell, (304) 699-1008, [email protected] Amandi Services.: Molly Riordan, (570) 879-2862 ext. 274, [email protected] SDR Technologies: Doug Ritchie, (304) 273-5326, [email protected] Foundation: Gregg Warren, 304-230-1430 National Center for Electronics Recycling and West Virginia Partners

Receive Grant for Electronics Recycling Pilot Program Amandi, SDR Technologies, and West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection

Team to Test Third Party Organization Operations, Plastics Recycling Technology through Targeted Collection Events across the State

DAVISVILLE, W.Va. – December 16, 2005 – The National Center for Electronics Recycling (NCER) has received a $100,000 sub-award from the West Virginia High Technology Consortium (WVHTC) Foundation to help it promote electronic materials recycling statewide. “We are happy to announce that as the holiday season approaches West Virginians soon will have opportunities to safely recycle their used electronics devices,” said NCER Executive Director Jason Linnell. “We are grateful to the Foundation for granting this sub-award so that the NCER can test key concepts important to the further development of the West Virginia and national infrastructure for recycling electronics, such as third party organization (TPO) operations and plastics identification technologies.” The NCER has teamed with: the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (WVDEP); Amandi Services, formerly Envirocycle, Davisville; and SDR Technologies, located in both Davisville and Millwood, W.Va. The partners will host a series of used electronics collection events across the state in 2006. During the pilot program, the NCER will serve as a TPO to arrange with the WVDEP for local electronics recycling collection events and recycling activities. “We are proud to have presented NCER with a sub-award. This forward-thinking organization is performing an important role in West Virginia’s efforts to keep recyclable materials out of already crowded landfills,” explained Joseph Allen, vice president and general manager of the WVHTC Foundation’s Wheeling office. “Recycling also helps

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mailto:[email protected]



keep manufacturing costs down which, in turn, benefits the consumer. NCER is setting the pace for recycling electronics and serves as a model for the rest of America.” NCER was one of four West Virginia companies to receive up to $100,000 sub-awards this year through the WVHTC Foundation’s Environmental Technology Program (ETP) based in Wheeling. The ETP provides such awards to assist companies within the state develop environmental protection equipment or processes. Congressman Alan B. Mollohan, D-W.Va. said, “These grant dollars will help West Virginia to lead the way in overcoming some tough environmental challenges. We also expect that the innovations which result from these projects will lead to new economic growth and job opportunities in our state." Amandi Services has been contracted for the electronics recycling events and activities. SDR Technologies will accept plastics from the demanufactured electronics collected at the events to demonstrate how new plastics identification technology can improve the economics of plastics recycling through better identification and separation of commingled electronic polymer waste. The plastic identification technology, known as mIRoSpark, was developed by IoSys. “Collection events can be very expensive undertakings for municipal and county governments,” noted Amandi spokeswoman Molly Riordan. “This grant will allow local governments to offer this service to more people in West Virginia, giving them a chance to responsibly recycle their obsolete electronics.” SDR Technologies President Doug Ritchie stated, “SDR Technologies is excited to partner with the NCER and Amandi Services in order to make progress on recycling plastics from end-of-life electronics. Finding a viable and economical way to identify and separate the commingled polymer waste from the devices collected at these events is a critical component in developing a long-term solution for West Virginia and the nation.” The grant team will announce the schedule for the West Virginia electronics collection events in early 2006, which will be available on the NCER and WVDEP websites. About the NCER: The National Center for Electronics Recycling (NCER) was incorporated as a non-profit organization in West Virginia in March 2005. The seed funding for the NCER comes from a federally funded grant project (Mid-Atlantic Recycling Center for End-of-Life Electronics or MARCEE). The primary purpose of the NCER is to coordinate the plethora of initiatives targeting the recycling of end-of-life electronics in the United States. The NCER is dedicated to the enhancement of the national infrastructure for recycling used electronics under the direction of a 12-member Industry Advisory Committee of manufacturers who are the leaders in the environmental field. For more information, see http://www.electronicsrecycling.org/ncer/. About Amandi: Envirocycle, Inc. and Nxtcycle, Inc. combined their experience, integrity and dedication to full service electronic recycling into one nationwide powerhouse. With 12 operations, more than 300 employees, and over 500,000 square feet

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http://www.electronicsrecycling.org/ncer/

of processing and warehouse space, Amandi provides complete recycling services to businesses, consumers, and municipalities from coast to coast. For more information, see http://www.amandiservices.com/. About SDR Technologies: SDR Technologies of Millwood, WV is committed to being a leading developer of cutting edge technologies in the plastics recycling industry. Created as a subsidiary of SDR Plastics, Inc. in 2004, SDR Technologies is focused on the recycling of waste polymers from End-of-Life-Electronics components (EoLE). For more information, see http://www.sdrtech.com/. About WVHTC Foundation: The WVHTC Foundation, based in Fairmont, is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization functioning as an engine of economic change for growing a statewide, regional and national high tech business sector. The foundation has established a multi-faceted approach to maximize economic development, commercialization and workforce development. In addition to its Fairmont and Wheeling offices, it has offices in Moundsville and Glenville.

-- END -- For Release: Friday, December 16, 2005

Contacts: Ron Hudok (Mollohan) 202-225-4172 Gregg Warren (WVHTC) 304-230-1430

Local Environmental Efforts Win Nearly $400K in High-Tech Support

Ohio, Monongalia and Wood county initiatives are awarded funds

Congressman Alan B. Mollohan, D-W.Va., announced today that four West Virginia groups are receiving about $100,000 apiece for targeted environmental projects through the West Virginia High Technology Consortium (WVHTC) Foundation.

The funds, provided by the foundation's Wheeling-based Environmental Technology Program (ETP), are designed to help companies within the state develop new environmental protection equipment or processes.

Recipients of the money are the National Center for Electronics Recycling of Wood County; CrC Software Solutions of Wheeling; and Swanson Plating Co. and Advanced Technology Applications, both of Morgantown.

"These grant dollars will help West Virginia to lead the way in overcoming some tough environmental challenges," said Mollohan. "We also expect that the innovations

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http://www.amandiservices.com/

http://www.sdrtech.com/

which result from these projects will lead to new economic growth and job opportunities in our state."

Mollohan has obtained federal funding for ETP through his work on the House

Appropriations Committee. The program is a cooperative partnership between the WVHTC Foundation and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

The National Center for Electronics Recycling (NCER) will use its funding on

a pilot project for recycling obsolete products such as computers, televisions and cell phones.

The disposal of used electronics is a growing environmental issue, and NCER's

goal is to demonstrate a process through which no more than 5 percent of the collected materials will be classified as unrecoverable and sent to a landfill. Its partners in the effort are Envirocycle Inc., SDR Technologies and the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection.

Swanson Plating will work to create a mobile chrome purification system, based

on the company's existing stationary prototype. The system would be used to recycle chrome-plating solution at remote sites. The

combination of the ion exchanger and the patented water treatment process will remove metal contaminants from the plating solution, thus returning the solution as a usable product to the customer.

Advanced Technology Applications (ATA) will continue to pursue the development of a tool for rapid water analysis.

It will be based on a chemical and biological containment detection technology

(patent pending) that uses commercially available, low-cost equipment and one of the most effective methods of antigen capture. This bioassay will be constructed on a standard dimension compact disc and will be attached regionally so as not to interrupt a normal operating CD drive.

CrC Software Solutions will demonstrate its product PolymerLogix, a Web-based, on-demand technology solution for high-performance coatings and linings projects.

This software will allow the end user to identify, design and implement high-

performance coating projects, thereby accelerating project completion, reducing project costs and increasing the control on the overall project.

James Estep, WVHTC Foundation president and CEO, said, "We are proud to support the endeavors of these four firms. There is an ongoing need to protect the environment whether it is through recycling and/or efficient manufacturing processes. These organizations are working hard to improve the state's environment and its economy.

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"The ETP is a valuable tool, providing value-added service to technology transfer deals, from assessing, packaging and showcasing technologies, to identifying and qualifying partners for actual transfer. It helps private industry identify EPA research, technologies and capabilities that have market, license or collaborative development potential," noted Estep.

The WVHTC Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization functioning as an engine of economic change for growing a regional and statewide high tech business sector. The foundation has established a multi-faceted approach to maximize economic development, commercialization and workforce development. In addition to its Fairmont headquarters and Wheeling branch, it has offices in Moundsville and Glenville.

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For Immediate Release

Contacts: NCER: Jason Linnell, (304) 699-1008, [email protected] NCER Announces First in Series of Electronics Collection Events; Feb.

25 at Morgantown Best Buy Store

DAVISVILLE, W.Va. – Feb. 15, 2006 – The National Center for Electronics Recycling (NCER) announced today the first electronics recycling event under a contract from the West Virginia High Technology Consortium (WVHTC) Foundation. The event will be held in the parking lot of the Morgantown area Best Buy store on Feb. 25, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. WHAT: Electronics Recycling Collection Event WHERE: Parking Lot of Best Buy Granville, 4000 University Town Centre Drive, Granville, WV WHEN: Saturday, Feb. 25, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. PRODUCTS ACCEPTED: Answering machines, camcorders, compact disc players, copiers, duplicators, electric typewriters, fax machines, hard drives, laptops, mobile phones, modems, pagers, personal computers (CPU, monitors, keyboards, mouse, and peripherals), printers, printed circuit boards, radios, remote controls, stereos, tape players, telephones and telephone equipment, televisions, VCRs, word processors PRODUCTS NOT ACCEPTED: Microwaves, smoke detectors, and large household appliances such as refrigerators, washing machines, and air conditioners

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FEES: The event is free, though there is a five unit limit per vehicle Residents and small businesses are welcome to drop off up to five pieces of equipment (keyboards, mice, and mobile phones do not count towards the five unit limit) at this event. Large businesses/institutions must call (800) 711-6010 to deliver to the recycling center or arrange possible equipment pickup. This collection event marks the first under a grant program collaboration between the NCER, the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (WVDEP) and Solid Waste Management Board (SWMB); Amandi Services, formerly Envirocycle, Davisville; and SDR Technologies, located in both Davisville and Millwood, W.Va. The WVHTC Foundation, which was founded by Congressman Alan B. Mollohan, D-W.Va. to help build the state’s economy, awarded the NCER this grant under its Environmental Technology Program (ETP). Mollohan has obtained federal funding for ETP through his work on the House Appropriations Committee. The program is a cooperative partnership between the WVHTC Foundation and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The event represents a unique partnering of industry, non-profit groups, and government. Seven electronic product manufacturers are sponsoring this event by paying for the recycling costs of their branded products collected: JVC, Lexmark, Panasonic, Philips, Sharp, Sony, and Toshiba. The non-profit NCER is serving as a third party administrator to arrange with the WVDEP for local electronics recycling collection events and recycling activities. Amandi Services, an electronics recycler, has been contracted for the demanufacturing of the collected devices. SDR Technologies will accept plastics from the demanufactured electronics collected at the events to demonstrate how new plastics identification technology can improve the economics of plastics recycling through better identification and separation of commingled electronic polymer waste. Other collection events will soon be scheduled across the state. For more information, go to http://www.electronicsrecycling.org/NCER/WVcollection, or call (304) 699-1008.

**30**

• Charleston Event Press Release Contacts: NCER: Jason Linnell, (304) 699-1008, [email protected] Local Contact, Solid Waste Management Board: Carol Throckmorton, (304) 926-0448 ext 1671, [email protected]

Charleston Area Residents and Businesses Able to Recycle Old Electronics: Collection Event to be held Apr. 29 at DEP Headquarters

in Charleston

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http://www.electronicsrecycling.org/NCER/WVcollection



DAVISVILLE, W.Va. – Apr. 11, 2006 – The National Center for Electronics Recycling (NCER), the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (WVDEP), and the West Virginia Solid Waste Management Board (WVSWMB) announced today the second in a series of statewide electronics recycling events. The event will be held in the parking lot of the WVDEP headquarters in Charleston on Apr. 29, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. WHAT: Electronics Recycling Collection Event WHERE: Parking Lot of DEP Headquarters (across from Kanawha City Mall), 601 57th Street, SE, Charleston, WV 25304 WHEN: Saturday, Apr. 29, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. PRODUCTS ACCEPTED: Answering machines, camcorders, compact disc players, copiers, duplicators, electric typewriters, fax machines, hard drives, laptops, mobile phones, modems, pagers, personal computers (CPU, monitors, keyboards, mouse, and peripherals), printers, printed circuit boards, radios, remote controls, stereos, tape players, telephones and telephone equipment, televisions, VCRs, word processors PRODUCTS NOT ACCEPTED: Microwaves, smoke detectors, and large household appliances such as refrigerators, washing machines, and air conditioners FEES: The event is free, though there is a five unit limit per vehicle All West Virginia residents and small businesses are welcome to drop off up to five pieces of equipment (keyboards, mice, and mobile phones do not count towards the five unit limit) at this event. Large businesses/institutions must call (800) 711-6010 to deliver to the recycling center or arrange possible equipment pickup. This collection event marks the second under a grant contract the NCER received from the West Virginia High Technology Consortium (WVHTC) Foundation. The first collection event, held at the Morgantown Best Buy, prevented over 14,000 lbs of electronic devices from being discarded in W. Va. landfills. The program is a collaboration between the NCER, WVDEP and Solid Waste Management Board (SWMB); Amandi Services, formerly Envirocycle, Davisville; and SDR Technologies, located in both Davisville and Millwood, W.Va. The WVHTC Foundation, which was founded by Congressman Alan B. Mollohan, D-W.Va. to help build the state’s economy, awarded the NCER this grant under its Environmental Technology Program (ETP). Mollohan has obtained federal funding for ETP through his work on the House Appropriations Committee. The program is a cooperative partnership between the WVHTC Foundation and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). As with the previous event, this program represents a unique partnering of industry, non-profit groups, and government. Seven electronic product manufacturers are sponsoring this event by paying for the recycling costs of their branded products collected: JVC, Lexmark, Panasonic, Philips, Sharp, Sony, and Toshiba. The non-profit NCER is serving

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as a third party administrator to arrange with the WVDEP for local electronics recycling collection events and recycling activities. Amandi Services, an electronics recycler, has been contracted for the demanufacturing of the collected devices. SDR Technologies will accept plastics from the demanufactured electronics collected at the events to demonstrate how new plastics identification technology can improve the economics of plastics recycling through better identification and separation of commingled electronic polymer waste. Other collection events will soon be scheduled across the state. For more information, go to http://www.electronicsrecycling.org/NCER/WVcollection, or call (304) 699-1008.

**30**

• Greenbrier Event Press Release


Contacts: NCER: Jason Linnell, (304) 699-1008, [email protected] WV DEP: Lalena Price, (304) 926-0440, [email protected] SWMB: Carol Throckmorton, (304) 926-0448, [email protected]

Electronics recycling comes to Greenbrier County on July 15

DAVISVILLE, W.Va. – June 23, 2006 – The National Center for Electronics Recycling, the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, and the West Virginia Solid Waste Management Board announced today the third in a series of statewide electronics recycling events to be held in Greenbrier County. WHAT: Electronics recycling collection event WHERE: West Virginia State Fairgrounds (Enter at Gate 5 off of State Route 219 North), Lewisburg, W.Va., 24901 WHEN: Saturday, July 15, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. PRODUCTS ACCEPTED: Answering machines, camcorders, compact disc players, copiers, duplicators, electric typewriters, fax machines, hard drives, laptops, mobile phones, modems, pagers, personal computers (CPU, monitors, keyboards, mouse, and peripherals), printers, printed circuit boards, radios, remote controls, stereos, tape players, telephones and telephone equipment, televisions, VCRs, word processors.

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PRODUCTS NOT ACCEPTED: Microwaves, smoke detectors, and large household appliances such as refrigerators, washing machines, and air conditioners FEES: The event is free, though there is a 10-unit limit per vehicle All West Virginia residents and small businesses are welcome to drop off up to 10 pieces of equipment (keyboards, mice, and mobile phones do not count toward the ten-unit limit) at this event. Large businesses and institutions must call (800) 711-6010 to deliver to the recycling center or arrange possible equipment pickup. This collection event marks the third under a grant contract the NCER received from the West Virginia High Technology Consortium Foundation. The first collection event, held at the Morgantown Best Buy, prevented over 14,000 pounds of electronic devices from being discarded in state landfills. The second, held at the Charleston DEP headquarters, collected over 33,000 pounds. The Greenbrier County event marks the first event in a predominantly rural area, in which the NCER and its partners hope to gain valuable information about the differences in participation rates and costs compared to urban areas. The program is a collaboration among the NCER, DEP and Solid Waste Management Board; Amandi Services, formerly Envirocycle, Davisville; and SDR Technologies, located in both Davisville and Millwood, W.Va. The WVHTC Foundation awarded the NCER this grant under its Environmental Technology Program. Congressman Alan B. Mollohan, D-W.Va. has obtained federal funding for the program, which is a cooperative partnership between the WVHTC Foundation and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. As with the previous event, this program represents a unique partnering of industry, non-profit groups, and government. Seven electronic product manufacturers are sponsoring this event by paying for the recycling costs of their branded products collected, including JVC, Lexmark, Panasonic, Phillips, Sharp, Sony, and Toshiba. The nonprofit NCER is serving as a third party administrator to arrange with DEP for local electronics recycling collection events and recycling activities. Amandi Services, an electronics recycler, has been contracted for the demanufacturing of the collected devices. SDR Technologies will accept plastics from the demanufactured electronics collected at the events to demonstrate how new plastics identification technology can improve the economics of plastics recycling through better identification and separation of commingled electronic polymer waste. Other collection events are being scheduled across the state. For more information, including summaries of previously held events, go to http://www.electronicsrecycling.org/NCER/WVcollection, or call (304) 699-1008.

**30**

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• Wood County Event Press Release


Contacts: NCER: Jason Linnell, (304) 699-1008, [email protected]

Wood County to host electronics recycling event on July 22

DAVISVILLE, W.Va. – July 7, 2006 – The National Center for Electronics Recycling, the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, and the West Virginia Solid Waste Management Board announced today an electronics recycling event to be held in the home county of the state’s first major electronics recycling operation at the Polymer Technology Park. The Wood County Solid Waste Authority is also sponsoring this free recycling event. WHAT: Electronics recycling collection event WHERE: Grand Central Mall, JC Penney parking lot, Vienna, W. Va, 26105 WHEN: Saturday, July 22, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. PRODUCTS ACCEPTED: Answering machines, camcorders, compact disc players, copiers, duplicators, electric typewriters, fax machines, hard drives, laptops, mobile phones, modems, pagers, personal computers (CPU, monitors, keyboards, mouse, and peripherals), printers, printed circuit boards, radios, remote controls, stereos, tape players, telephones and telephone equipment, televisions, VCRs, word processors. PRODUCTS NOT ACCEPTED: Microwaves, smoke detectors, and large household appliances such as refrigerators, washing machines, and air conditioners FEES: The event is free, though there is a 10-unit limit per vehicle All West Virginia residents and small businesses are welcome to drop off up to 10 pieces of equipment (keyboards, mice, and mobile phones do not count toward the ten-unit limit) at this event. Large businesses and institutions must call (800) 711-6010 to deliver to the recycling center or arrange possible equipment pickup. This collection event is the fourth under a grant contract the NCER received from the West Virginia High Technology Consortium Foundation (WVHTC). The first two events, held in Morgantown and Charleston, prevented over 47,000 pounds of electronic devices from being discarded in state landfills. A third event has been scheduled in Greenbrier County on July 15th, and further events will soon be announced in Taylor and Upshur

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counties. The program is a collaboration among the NCER, DEP and Solid Waste Management Board; Amandi Services, formerly Envirocycle, Davisville; and SDR Technologies, located in both Davisville and Millwood, W.Va. The WVHTC Foundation awarded the NCER this grant under its Environmental Technology Program. Congressman Alan B. Mollohan, D-W.Va. has obtained federal funding for the program, which is a cooperative partnership between the WVHTC Foundation and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Wood County is home to the Polymer Technology Park (PTP), in which the National Center for Electronics Recycling and Amandi are located, along with the Polymer Alliance Zone of West Virginia. Amandi performs electronic material break-down, or “demanufacturing,” at the PTP facility from products collected at the WV events. As with the previous event, this program represents a unique partnering of industry, non-profit groups, and government. Seven electronic product manufacturers are sponsoring this event by paying for the recycling costs of their branded products collected, including JVC, Lexmark, Panasonic, Phillips, Sharp, Sony, and Toshiba. The nonprofit NCER is serving as a third party administrator to arrange with DEP for local electronics recycling collection events and recycling activities. Amandi Services, an electronics recycler, has been contracted for the demanufacturing of the collected devices. SDR Technologies will accept plastics from the demanufactured electronics collected at the events to demonstrate how new plastics identification technology can improve the economics of plastics recycling through better identification and separation of commingled electronic polymer waste. Other collection events are being scheduled across the state. For more information, including summaries of previously held events, go to http://www.electronicsrecycling.org/NCER/WVcollection, or call (304) 699-1008.

**30**

• Upshur County Event Press Release


Contacts: NCER: Jason Linnell, (304) 699-1008, [email protected] WV SWMB: Carol Throckmorton, (304) 926-0448, [email protected]

Statewide electronics recycling program continues in Upshur County on July 29

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DAVISVILLE, W.Va. – July 13, 2006 – The National Center for Electronics Recycling, the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, and the West Virginia Solid Waste Management Board announced today an electronics recycling event to be held in the Upshur County on July 29. WHAT: Electronics recycling collection event WHERE: Wendling Plaza, Tennerton, Route 20 S. from Buckhannon (former Ames Plaza), Tennerton, W. Va, 26201 WHEN: Saturday, July 29, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. PRODUCTS ACCEPTED: Answering machines, camcorders, compact disc players, copiers, duplicators, electric typewriters, fax machines, hard drives, laptops, mobile phones, modems, pagers, personal computers (CPU, monitors, keyboards, mouse, and peripherals), printers, printed circuit boards, radios, remote controls, stereos, tape players, telephones and telephone equipment, televisions, VCRs, word processors. PRODUCTS NOT ACCEPTED: Microwaves, smoke detectors, and large household appliances such as refrigerators, washing machines, and air conditioners FEES: The event is free, though there is a 10-unit limit per vehicle All West Virginia residents and small businesses are welcome to drop off up to 10 pieces of equipment (keyboards, mice, and mobile phones do not count toward the ten-unit limit) at this event. Large businesses and institutions must call (800) 711-6010 to deliver to the recycling center or arrange possible equipment pickup. This collection event is the fifth under a grant contract the NCER received from the West Virginia High Technology Consortium Foundation (WVHTC). The first two events, held in Morgantown and Charleston, prevented over 47,000 pounds of electronic devices from being discarded in state landfills. Further events have been scheduled in Greenbrier County on July 15th and Wood County on July 22nd. The program is a collaboration among the NCER, DEP and Solid Waste Management Board; Amandi Services, formerly Envirocycle, Davisville; and SDR Technologies, located in both Davisville and Millwood, W.Va. The WVHTC Foundation awarded the NCER this grant under its Environmental Technology Program. Congressman Alan B. Mollohan, D-W.Va. has obtained federal funding for the program, which is a cooperative partnership between the WVHTC Foundation and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. As with the previous event, this program represents a unique partnering of industry, non-profit groups, and government. Seven electronic product manufacturers are sponsoring this event by paying for the recycling costs of their branded products collected, including JVC, Lexmark, Panasonic, Phillips, Sharp, Sony, and Toshiba. The nonprofit NCER is serving as a third party administrator to arrange with DEP for local electronics recycling

- 48 -

collection events and recycling activities. Amandi Services, an electronics recycler, has been contracted for the demanufacturing of the collected devices. SDR Technologies will accept plastics from the demanufactured electronics collected at the events to demonstrate how new plastics identification technology can improve the economics of plastics recycling through better identification and separation of commingled electronic polymer waste. Other collection events are being scheduled across the state. For more information, including summaries of previously held events, go to http://www.electronicsrecycling.org/NCER/WVcollection, or call (304) 699-1008.

**30**

• Putnam County Event Press Release


Contacts: NCER: Jason Linnell, (304) 699-1008, [email protected] WV SWMB: Carol Throckmorton, (304) 926-0448, [email protected] Putnam County Electronics Recycling Event Scheduled for August 19 at

Home Depot Over 163,000 lbs Collected in 2006 from West Virginia Residents and Small

Businesses

DAVISVILLE, W.Va. – August 11, 2006 – The National Center for Electronics Recycling, the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, and the West Virginia Solid Waste Management Board announced today an electronics recycling event to be held in the Putnam County on August 19. The Putnam County Solid Waste Authority is also sponsoring the event. WHAT: Electronics recycling collection event WHERE: Home Depot parking lot behind Liberty Square in Teays Valley, W.Va. (1100 Liberty Park Drive) WHEN: Saturday, August 19, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

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PRODUCTS ACCEPTED: Answering machines, camcorders, compact disc players, copiers, duplicators, electric typewriters, fax machines, hard drives, laptops, mobile phones, modems, pagers, personal computers (CPU, monitors, keyboards, mouse, and peripherals), printers, printed circuit boards, radios, remote controls, stereos, tape players, telephones and telephone equipment, televisions, VCRs, word processors. PRODUCTS NOT ACCEPTED: Microwaves, smoke detectors, and large household appliances such as refrigerators, washing machines, and air conditioners FEES: The event is free, though there is a 10-unit limit per vehicle All West Virginia residents and small businesses are welcome to drop off up to 10 pieces of equipment (keyboards, mice, and mobile phones do not count toward the ten-unit limit) at this event. Large businesses and institutions must call (800) 711-6010 to deliver to the recycling center or arrange possible equipment pickup. This collection event is the sixth under a grant contract the NCER received from the West Virginia High Technology Consortium Foundation (WVHTC). The program has collected over 163,000 lbs of electronic equipment in six events across the state. This joint project involves the NCER, DEP and Solid Waste Management Board; Amandi Services, formerly Envirocycle, Davisville; and SDR Technologies, located in both Davisville and Millwood, W.Va. The WVHTC Foundation awarded the NCER this grant under its Environmental Technology Program. Congressman Alan B. Mollohan, D-W.Va. has obtained federal funding for the program, which is a cooperative partnership between the WVHTC Foundation and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. As with the previous event, this program represents a unique partnering of industry, non-profit groups, and government. Seven electronic product manufacturers are sponsoring this event by paying for the recycling costs of their branded products collected, including JVC, Lexmark, Panasonic, Phillips, Sharp, Sony, and Toshiba. The nonprofit NCER is serving as a third party administrator to arrange with DEP for local electronics recycling collection events and recycling activities. Amandi Services, an electronics recycler, has been contracted for the demanufacturing of the collected devices. SDR Technologies will accept plastics from the demanufactured electronics collected at the events to demonstrate how new plastics identification technology can improve the economics of plastics recycling through better identification and separation of commingled electronic polymer waste. Other collection events are being scheduled across the state. For more information, including summaries of previously held events, go to http://www.electronicsrecycling.org/NCER/WVcollection, or call (304) 699-1008.

**30**

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• Marshall County Event Press Release


Contacts: NCER: Jason Linnell, (304) 699-1008, [email protected] WV SWMB: Carol Throckmorton, (304) 926-0448, [email protected] Marshall County Solid Waste Authority to Host Electronics Recycling

Event on September 9 at John Marshall High School

DAVISVILLE, W.Va. – August 31, 2006 – The National Center for Electronics Recycling, the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, and the West Virginia Solid Waste Management Board announced today an electronics recycling event to be held in Marshall County on September 9. WHAT: Electronics recycling collection event WHERE: North parking lot of John Marshall High School in Glen Dale, W.Va. (1300 Wheeling Avenue) WHEN: Saturday, September 9, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. PRODUCTS ACCEPTED: Answering machines, camcorders, compact disc players, copiers, duplicators, electric typewriters, fax machines, hard drives, laptops, mobile phones, modems, pagers, personal computers (CPU, monitors, keyboards, mouse, and peripherals), printers, printed circuit boards, radios, remote controls, stereos, tape players, telephones and telephone equipment, televisions, VCRs, word processors. PRODUCTS NOT ACCEPTED: Microwaves, smoke detectors, and large household appliances such as refrigerators, washing machines, and air conditioners FEES: The event is free, though there is a 10-unit limit per vehicle All West Virginia residents and small businesses are welcome to drop off up to 10 pieces of equipment (keyboards, mice, and mobile phones do not count toward the ten-unit limit) at this event. Large businesses and institutions must call (800) 711-6010 to deliver to the recycling center or arrange possible equipment pickup.

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This collection event is the eighth under a grant contract the NCER received from the West Virginia High Technology Consortium Foundation (WVHTC). The program has collected over 171,000 lbs of electronic equipment in events across the state managed or sponsored by the grant project. This joint project involves the NCER, DEP and Solid Waste Management Board; Amandi Services, formerly Envirocycle, Davisville; and SDR Technologies, located in both Davisville and Millwood, W.Va. The WVHTC Foundation awarded the NCER this grant under its Environmental Technology Program. Congressman Alan B. Mollohan, D-W.Va. has obtained federal funding for the program, which is a cooperative partnership between the WVHTC Foundation and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. As with the previous event, this program represents a unique partnering of industry, non-profit groups, and government. Seven electronic product manufacturers are sponsoring this event by paying for the recycling costs of their branded products collected, including JVC, Lexmark, Panasonic, Phillips, Sharp, Sony, and Toshiba. The nonprofit NCER is serving as a third party administrator to arrange with DEP for local electronics recycling collection events and recycling activities. Amandi Services, an electronics recycler, has been contracted for the demanufacturing of the collected devices. SDR Technologies will accept plastics from the demanufactured electronics collected at the events to demonstrate how new plastics identification technology can improve the economics of plastics recycling through better identification and separation of commingled electronic polymer waste. Other collection events are being scheduled across the state. For more information, including summaries of previously held events, go to http://www.electronicsrecycling.org/NCER/WVcollection, or call (304) 699-1008.

**30**

• Marion County Event Press Release

FINAL 2006 E-CYCLING EVENT TO BE HELD IN FAIRMONT

Program Gets Support From WVHTC Foundation

FAIRMONT, W.Va. – Sept. 22, 2006 – Residents and small businesses in Marion and neighboring counties will be able to participate in a new experiment in recycling and get rid of used electronics at the same time when “e-cycling” makes its final stop of 2006 on Sept. 30 in Fairmont. The event, coordinated by the nonprofit National Center for Electronics (NCER) and the Marion County Solid Waste Authority, will be held in the west parking lot of the Alan B. Mollohan Innovation Center (1000 Technology Drive) from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

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Equipment that residents can drop off includes: personal computers, answering machines, camcorders, compact disc players, copiers, duplicators, electric typewriters, hard drives, laptops, mobile phones, modems, pagers, printers, printed circuit boards, radios, remote controls, stereos, tape players, telephones, telephone equipment, televisions, videocassette recorders, tape players and word processors. For years, the recycling of paper, metals and glass products has been a well-publicized method of protecting the environment and recapturing raw and manufactured materials. But the lesser known electronics recycling, or e-cycling, is now gaining in popularity throughout West Virginia largely due to the NCER in Davisville, with help from the West Virginia High Technology Consortium (WVHTC) Foundation. In fact, e-cycling in the Mountain State is quickly becoming the nation’s standard bearer for such recycling and the model is assisting other states’ efforts. Leading the NCER is Jason Linnell, a West Virginia native, who was a youngster when his family moved to Ohio. After college and graduate school, he landed a five-year job handling environmental policy issues at the Electronic Industries Alliance near Washington, D.C. His duties included developing a database of national e-cycling locations and representing electronics manufacturers in state and national discussions on the challenges of e-cycling. Linnell’s job provided the early training ground to ready him for his current stint as the NCER executive director. Since its inception last year, the NCER’s mission has been to coordinate, on a national level, e-cycling activities. It is a one-stop information center to assist all levels of government and other stakeholders with laws, data, reports and related materials on e-cycling. The NCER also works as a third-party entity within West Virginia to coordinate e-cycling events, conducting a pilot e-cycling collection and recycling program. That is where a $100,000 sub-award it received from the WVHTC Foundation comes in to play. The funding is helping the NCER to be effective in organizing and coordinating e-cycling statewide – something many other states are having difficulty doing. The NCER works with the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection and the state’s Solid Waste Management Board to provide locations and instructions on how residents can participate in e-cycling and what electronic products they can drop off. The sub-award helps the NCER cover the cost of collecting, transporting and “de-manufacturing” the electronics and associated plastics at events in the state. Collection events are staged by Amandi Services – the first major electronics recycler to locate in the state. The sub-award also allows SDR Technologies, a plastics recycler based in Millwood, W.Va., to develop innovative methods to address the difficult challenge of

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sorting and recycling plastics from electronics. The NCER, Amandi, and SDR Technologies have operations in the Davisville-based (Wood County) Polymer Technology Park, owned by the Polymer Alliance Zone of West Virginia. U.S. Rep. Alan B. Mollohan, D-W.Va., announced late last year that the NCER was one of four businesses or organizations to receive the $100,000 federal sub-award. The sub-awards are designed to assist businesses or organizations advance products or systems that help protect the environment. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency authorized the WVHTC Foundation to issue a call for competitive ideas to address national environmental problems. NCER entered the competition and its e-cycling initiative was one of four sub-grant winners. The WVHTC Foundation, a Mollohan initiative, administers the sub-grant competition through the organization’s Environmental Technologies Program based in Wheeling. ”I’m glad to be back in West Virginia where I have family and can help make a difference with the environment here and elsewhere,” Linnell said. “The sub-award the foundation issued to us is making a positive impact on educating the public about recycling electronics. We are recapturing plastics, metals and glass, which can be recycled into new useful products instead of leaving them to collect in landfills. “This summer was busy for electronics recycling in the state. We’ve already held eight events in eight counties. So far, we have been able to keep over 100 tons of reusable materials out of the waste stream at events in Morgantown, Charleston, Lewisburg, Buckhannon, Grafton, Parkersburg, Teays Valley, and Glen Dale. This is very beneficial to our environment because electronics contain lead, mercury and other materials that would otherwise be thrown in our landfills.” The NCER originated following the National Electronics Product Stewardship Initiative, designed to bring electronics manufacturers, recyclers and government to an agreement on a national approach to e-cycling. When the attempt failed, the Mid-Atlantic Recycling Center for End-of-Life Electronics (MARCEE) in Parkersburg, another Mollohan initiative, took the reins and the NCER was established. MARCEE operates using federal funds and is managed through a cooperative agreement between West Virginia University and the National Energy Technology Laboratory. Several West Virginia organizations have teamed together under MARCEE to establish a sustainable recycling industry for electronics in the state. Once the electronics are collected, they are transported to Amandi’s facility at the Polymer Technology Park where they are disassembled. The parts are sold and recycled to be used again in other products and reclaimed for their metals. The plastics are sent to SDR Technologies for identification, sorting and eventual recycling.

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“We were pleased that the NCER was one of the sub-award recipients. Its efforts not only help keep the environment clean, but provide an important boost to the state’s emerging electronics and plastics recycling industries,” said Joseph Allen, WVHTC Foundation vice president and general manager. “Other sub-awards have been issued to various companies throughout the state that help them advance their products to the marketplace and/or improve market shares that help protect the environment.” Linnell can be reached via e-mail at [email protected] or by calling 304-699-1008. The WVHTC Foundation, headquartered in Fairmont, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization functioning as an engine of economic change for growing a regional and statewide high-tech business sector. The foundation has established a multi-faceted approach to maximize economic development, commercialization and workforce development. In addition to its Fairmont headquarters, it has offices in Wheeling, Moundsville, Glenville and Washington, D.C.

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Contact: WVHTC Foundation, Wheeling Office, (304) 230-1430.

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Appendix C: Compilation of Media Coverage General Media Coverage: West Virginia Executive Magazine

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General Media Coverage (cont.): The State Journal The Parkersburg News

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Charleston, WV – April 29, 2006 Media Coverage State Journal Article

http://www.recyclingtoday.com/news/news.asp?ID=9523 WV Holding E-Scrap Recycling Program 4/17/2006 The National Center for Electronics Recycling, the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, and the West Virginia Solid Waste Management Board have announced the second in a series of statewide electronics recycling events. The event will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on April 29 in the parking lot of DEP's Charleston headquarters. Materials that will be accepted at the event include answering machines, camcorders, compact disc players, copiers, duplicators, electric typewriters, fax machines, hard drives, laptops, mobile phones, modems, pagers, personal computers mouse, and peripherals, printers, printed circuit boards, radios, remote controls, stereos, tape players, telephones and telephone equipment, televisions, VCRs, and word processors. The event is free, although there is a five unit limit per vehicle. This collection event marks the second under a grant contract the NCER received from the West Virginia High Technology Consortium Foundation. The first collection event resulted in the collection of more than 14,000 pounds of electronic devices. The program is a collaboration between the NCER, DEP and Solid Waste Management Board; Amandi Services, formerly Envirocycle, and SDR Technologies. The program represents a unique partnering of industry, non-profit groups, and government. Seven electronic product manufacturers are sponsoring this event by paying for the recycling costs of their branded products collected, including JVC, Lexmark, Panasonic, Phillips, Sharp, Sony, and Toshiba. The non-profit NCER is serving as a third party administrator to arrange with DEP for local electronics recycling collection events and recycling activities. Amandi Services, an electronics recycler, has been contracted for the demanufacturing of the collected devices. SDR Technologies will accept plastics from the demanufactured electronics collected at the events to demonstrate how new plastics identification technology can improve the economics of plastics recycling through better identification and separation of commingled electronic polymer waste. Products that will not be accepted at the event include: microwaves, smoke detectors, and large household appliances such as refrigerators, washing machines, and air conditioners.

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http://www.recyclingtoday.com/news/news.asp?ID=9523

Charleston, WV – April 29, 2006 Media Coverage (cont.)

http://www.huntingtonnews.net/state/060417-staff-recycling.html Electronics Recycling Event Slated for April 29 By HNN Staff April 18, 2006 Charleston , WV (HNN) – The National Center for Electronics Recycling (NCER), the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), and the West Virginia Solid Waste Management Board (SWMB) will conduct the second in a series of statewide electronics recycling events. The event will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on April 29, 2006 in the parking lot of DEP’s Charleston headquarters in Charleston. The event will be held in the parking lot of DEP Headquarters (across from the Kanawha Mall), 601 57th Street, SE, Charleston, WV 25304 PRODUCTS ACCEPTED: Answering machines, camcorders, compact disc players, copiers, duplicators, electric typewriters, fax machines, hard drives, laptops, mobile phones, modems, pagers, personal computers (CPU, monitors, keyboards, mouse, and peripherals), printers, printed circuit boards, radios, remote controls, stereos, tape players, telephones and telephone equipment, televisions, VCRs, word processors. PRODUCTS NOT ACCEPTED: Microwaves, smoke detectors, and large household appliances such as refrigerators, washing machines, and air conditioners All West Virginia residents and small businesses are welcome to drop off up to five pieces of equipment (keyboards, mice, and mobile phones do not count toward the five-unit limit) at this event. Large businesses and institutions must call (800) 711-6010 to deliver to the recycling center or arrange possible equipment pickup. This collection event marks the second under a grant contract the NCER received from the West Virginia High Technology Consortium (WVHTC) Foundation. The first collection event, held at the Morgantown Best Buy, prevented over 14,000 pounds of electronic devices from being discarded in state landfills. The program is a collaboration between the NCER, DEP and Solid Waste Management Board; Amandi Services, formerly Envirocycle, Davisville; and SDR Technologies, located in both Davisville and Millwood, W.Va. The WVHTC Foundation, which was founded by Congressman Alan B. Mollohan, D-W.Va. to help build the state’s economy, awarded the NCER this grant under its Environmental Technology Program. Mollohan has obtained federal funding for the program through his work on the House Appropriations Committee. The program is a cooperative partnership between the WVHTC Foundation and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Other collection events will soon be scheduled across the state. For more information, go to http://www.electronicsrecycling.org/NCER/WVcollection, or call (304) 699-1008.

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http://www.huntingtonnews.net/state/060417-staff-recycling.html


Recycling day slated for electronic products Wednesday April 19, 2006

People who want to get rid of electronic products may do so for free April 29 at an electronics recycling event in Kanawha City.

Up to five electronic products per vehicle may be dropped off from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection's headquarters beside the Kanawha Mall.

Items that will be accepted: Answering machines; camcorders; compact disc players; copiers; duplicators; electric typewriters; fax machines; hard drives; laptops; mobile phones; modems; pagers; personal computers including central processing units, monitors, keyboards, mouse and peripherals; printers; printed circuit boards; radios; remote controls; stereos; tape players; telephones and telephone equipment; televisions; video cassette recorders; and word processors.

Not accepted: Microwaves; smoke detectors; and large household appliances such as refrigerators, washing machines and air conditioners.

The event is being made possible by a grant from the West Virginia High Technology Consortium Foundation and the efforts of The National Center for Electronics Recycling, the state Department of Environmental Protection and the West Virginia Solid Waste Management Board.

More information is available by calling 699-1008 or visiting the Web siteat www.electronicsrecycling.org /NCER/WVcollection.

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New use for old electronics

by Colleen Wright

Thursday April 27, 2006 Electronic gadgets can improve your life. But when the gadgets have outlived their usefulness, it's hard to know what to do with them: Putting them out in the trash seems wasteful. Relegating them to the attic seems pointless. One solution will present itself this Saturday. From 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., community members may bring any unwanted electronics to the parking lot of the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection for an electronics recycling collection event. The site is in Kanawha City just west of the Kanawha Mall. The agency's headquarters was built on the former site of Kanawha Cinemas. The event is free with a five-unit limit per vehicle. The list of items being collected consists of answering machines, camcorders, compact disc players, copiers, duplicators, electric typewriters, fax machines, hard drives, laptops, mobile phones, modems, papers, personal computers, printers, printed circuit boards, radios, remote controls, stereos, tape players, telephones and equipment, televisions, VCRs and word processors. Products not being accepted consist of microwaves, smoke detectors and large household appliances. "Most people don't know what to do with their old electronics," said Jason Linnell of the National Center for Electronics Recycling. "They get a new electronic device and then they either try to give the old device away or store it in their basement." Anyone who wishes to recycle their electronics can load them into the trunk of their vehicle and drive into the lot. There will be signs directing people where to go. Then the people working the event will remove the items from the trunk and place them into the trailer that will deliver them to the recycling center. Afterwards, there is a seven-question survey that people will be asked to fill out. Amandi Services, the electronics recycler, is located in Wood County and opened in October. Rita Palmer, vice president of Amandi, said the company destroys all data on central processing units and hard drives. Palmer and the company uses the department of defense's system for data destruction so nothing can be retrieved. The company's managers ensure secure data removal, she said. She added that if people feel more comfortable, it is fine if they wish to clear their hard drive before recycling it. Amandi takes everything apart and separates the parts based on whether they are plastic, copper, precious metals or glass. Then Amandi sells those materials to companies that produce glass, plastic, copper and other materials. That company will melt or grind the material, depending on what it is, and use it to produce new products. The sponsors of Saturday's event include the state Solid Waste Management Board, the National Center for Electronics Recycling and the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection. The event is the second series of statewide electronics recycling events this year. The first event took place in February at the Best Buy parking lot in Morgantown. "In Morgantown, we collected 14,000 pounds of electronics, close to 7 tons and had 200 cars come," said Carol Throckmorton of the West Virginia Solid Waste Management Board. "I would say it was relatively successful." Throckmorton also hopes to see the event in Charleston succeed. "People have been asking for this. On a weekly basis we receive calls from people asking what to do with their old electronics and requesting this service," she said. "There are not a lot of options and people want to do the right thing." Throckmorton strongly suggests that any electronics that are still in working order be donated to Goodwill, senior centers or another institution that can use them.

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Charleston, WV – April 29, 2006 Media Coverage (cont.) WOWK Channel 13 (April 29, 2006)

WCHS Channel 8 (April 29, 2006)

Coverage also provided by WCHS Channel 8.

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Marshall County – Sept. 9, 2006 Media Coverage

WTOV News Channel 9

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Monongalia County (Morgantown) – February 25, 2006 Media Coverage

Electronics Recycling Collection Saturday

Morgantown, W.Va. (February 24th, 2006) If you have some old tv's or stereo's you'd like to get rid of you can bring them to the Best Buy parking lot

on Saturday. National Center for Electronics Recycling will hold a Electronics Recycling collection from 10 a-m until 4 p-m. N-C-E-R's Executive Director Jason Linnell says you can bring just about any kind of electronics. Just drive through the parking lot and they will come up to your car and collect the items. Linnell says they will be recycled by a company here in West Virginia.

This is the first in a series of recycling collections to be held around the state. Linnell says the collections are funded through a grant from the High Tech Consortium Foundation using money from the US EPA.

Several companies have agreed to pay for the recycling of this products that are turned in. Some of the companies include Sharp, Sony, Toshiba, JVC, Lexmark, Phillips, and Panisonic.

There are some limitations to the recycling collection. You can only bring five items per vehicle. They won't accept microwaves, smoke detectors or large household appliances.

Linnell says there are several reasons for recycling electronics. He says they take up landfill space and there are several chemicals like lead, mercury, cadmium that can be harmful to the environment. He says they can also reuse some of the plastics and precious metals that can be extracted from the electronics.

Linnell says the Monongalia County Solid Waste Authority will hold a similar event in April if you can't make it to this electronic recycling collection.

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Monongalia County (Morgantown) – February 25, 2006 Media Coverage (cont.)

Morgantown Dominion Post Local Briefs Column – 2/25/06

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Monongalia County (Morgantown) – February 25, 2006 Media Coverage (cont.) Morgantown Dominion Post – 2/17/06

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Monongalia County (Morgantown) – February 25, 2006 Media Coverage (cont.) WVU Intranet

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Ad in WVU Daily Athenaeum

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Wood County (Parkersburg) – July 22, 2006 Media Coverage Wednesday, July 19, 2006 — Time: 11:58:29 AM EST

Electronics recycling event this weekend

By PAMELA BRUST, Senior Staff Writer

PARKERSBURG — Wood County residents will be able to dispose of their old electronic equipment including computers, television sets, compact disc players, copiers and other items from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. this Saturday at the J.C. Penney end of the Grand Central Mall parking lot. The event is made possible through a grant from the West Virginia High Technology Consortium Foundation through the efforts of the West Virginia Solid Waste Management board, West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection and National Center for Electronics Recycling. “We were having to send televisions to a place near Cleveland for recycling. It was kind of expensive until this company came here. Now we have a way to recycle these TVs,” said Susan McCloud, director with the Wood County SWA. “This is our fourth event in the state. We are working with two other local companies, Amandi Services, which is the recycler. They will handle, manage, and stage the event. SDR Technologies which is a plastic recycling firm,” said Jason Linnell, executive director with the NCER, located at the Polymer Technology Park in Davisville Products that will be accepted Saturday for recycling include answering machines, camcorders, CD players, copiers, duplicators, electric typewriters, fax machines, hard drives, laptops, mobile phones, modems, pagers, personal computers, printers, printed circuit boards, radios, remote controls, stereos, tape players, telephones and related equipment, televisions, videocassette recorders, word processors. Products that will not be accepted are microwaves, smoke detectors, large household appliance, such as refrigerators, washing machines and air-conditioners. Linnell said 14,000 pounds of electronic equipment was collected during a similar event in Morgantown, 33,000 pounds at Charleston and about 20,000 pounds at an event in Greenbrier County. “We all have this kind of stuff sitting around in our basements.We just haven’t known what to do with it in the past. We are trying to recycle these items in the most efficient way we can,” Linnell said. “Most of what we get is CPUs, computers, monitors, some copiers, fax machines, mainly monitors and televisions in the greatest quantity,” Linnell said. Saturday’s event is open to residents and small business to drop off up to 10 pieces of equipment. The Cathode Ray Tube monitors s have lead in the glass to protect the user from radiation. “But there may be 2-10 pounds of lead in a large TV that uses the same type of technology. The LCDs have mercury in them. There is a small back-light in there. Lead and mercury are not good materials to have in your environment so by recycling these materials we are keeping them out of the landfills and putting them back to productive use through recycling,” Linnell said. Linnell noted four states now have mandatory laws for recycling electronic equipment. “Some charge an upfront fee when you buy a new product, like California. In Maine, the manufacturers have to pay,” Linnell said. Linnell said his firm is involved with research initiatives. “We are learning a lot by doing these events, and we are applying for another grant next year,” he said. “I have seen one study that shows there are at least 24 different devices in each household that eventually will need to be recycled and that keeps growing,” Linnell said.

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Wood County (Parkersburg) – July 22, 2006 Media Coverage (cont.) Ran on page 3C of the 7/16 Parkersburg News and page 4 of the 7/21 Parkersburg News & Sentinel Free Time

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Wood County (Parkersburg) – July 22, 2006 Media Coverage (cont.) Clear Channel Radio Ad

Click here to listen

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http://www.electronicsrecycling.com/NCER/UserDocuments/Clearchannel Radio Ad Parkersburg Event.mp3

Marion County (Fairmont) – September 30, 2006 Media Coverage

Times West Virginian

Electronics recycling opportunity Saturday

By Mary Wade Burnside Times West Virginian

FAIRMONT— Anyone who meant to dispose of an old computer or any other electronics device in an environmentally responsible way during spring cleaning now has a reprieve in the form of a fall purge. Representatives from the Parkersburg area-based National Center for Electronics Recycling will be on hand from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday in the parking lot of the Alan B. Mollohan Innovation Center on Technology Drive in Fairmont. “People can drop off really any type of electronics item,” said Jason Linnell, the executive director of the National Center for Electronics Recycling in Davisville, Wood County. “The only thing that’s not accepted are large appliances like washing machines and things like that that people don’t want to haul around anyway.” Microwaves also are on the list of items that will not be accepted. But anyone who has an old computer, answering machine, camcorder, cell phone, copier, duplicator, electric typewriter, fax machine, laptop, remote control, stereo, TV, telephone, tape player or VCR, CD or DVD player that are collecting dust around the house can drop those off during the event. Geared to residents and small businesses, the event is the last of eight held around the state. The program was funded by a $100,000 grant through the West Virginia High Tech Consortium Foundation in Fairmont, giving area residents the opportunity to recycle in the same place where the monies were granted. Items picked up will be taken apart and separated by component, such as metal, glass and plastic, which will be sold to secondary markets that will use those as ingredients in new products, Linnell said. Also, dangerous components such as mercury, lead and cadmium will be removed safely and reused, as opposed to going to a landfill where they could seep into the land and the groundwater. “Only about 5 percent of what we get cannot be reused or recycled,” Linnell said. “Mostly that’s wood from wood console TVs. There’s really no outlet for it. It’s not high-quality wood. It usually has wood laminate on top of it.” Electronics recycling is gaining in popularity around the country, and in four states, one type of electronics recycling program or another has been written into law. In West Virginia, businesses are obligated to recycle all computers and other electronics items, but this rarely is enforced. “West Virginia has been somewhat lagging in years past in electronics recycling efforts,” Linnell said. “There was a substantial program in 2002, a regional pilot program, where they did six or seven events like this.” The National Center for Electronics Recycling is a nonprofit organization located in the same industrial park as Amandi, a recycling business that used to be called Envirocycle. Amandi will be helping out with Saturday’s event. “Our goal is to coordinate a lot of national initiatives on electronics recycling,” Linnell said. “That would mean doing things such as collecting data on how much is being recycled and doing an analysis of different state programs.” During Saturday’s event, each vehicle can drop off up to 10 items. People bringing items do not have to get out of their cars. “There will be people directing you where to go,” Linnell said. “We usually have cones set up and a number of people who take everything out of the car.” Usually, participants do not have to wait more than 10 minutes, Linnell added. Jim Estep, president and CEO of the WVHTC Foundation, which awarded the grant for the program, complimented the National Center for Electronics Recycling in a statement. “This forward-thinking organization is performing an important role in West Virginia’s efforts to keep recyclable materials out of already crowded landfills,” Estep said. “Recycling also helps keep manufacturing costs down, which, in turn, benefits the consumer.” The West Virginia program kicked off in Morgantown last February and events also were held in Charleston, Parkersburg, Greenbrier County, Upshur County, Marshall County, Taylor County and Teays Valley. During the first seven events, about 200,000 pounds of electronics items were collected. One fourth of that, or about 50,000 pounds, came from Parkersburg, the most successful site, Linnell said. “We’ll see what Fairmont does,” he said. E-mail Mary Wade Burnside at [email protected].

Copyright © 1999-2006 cnhi, inc.

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E-Cycling Resources Document

Prepared By NCER For Website 1 of 8 pages - Full document available by request or can be downloaded from website at http://www.electronicsrecycling.org/NCER/UserDocuments/Electronics%20Recycling%20Resources%20for%20WV%20consumers.pdf

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http://www.electronicsrecycling.org/NCER/UserDocuments/Electronics Recycling Resources for WV consumers.pdf

http://www.electronicsrecycling.org/NCER/UserDocuments/Electronics Recycling Resources for WV consumers.pdf

Event Flyers

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Event Photo Collage

Berkeley County Greenbrier County Kanawha County

Marion County Marshall County Monongalia County

Putnam County Upshur County Wood County

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