E-Waste Innovator WeRecycle! Files Application to Serve Consumer Electronics Manufacturers Under New York State's New Law

MOUNT VERNON, N.Y., Dec. 15, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Pioneering electronic waste recycler WeRecycle! has filed with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation to collect and process e-waste on behalf of consumer electronics and computer companies under the state's new Electronic Equipment Recycling and Reuse Act. The law obligates electronics manufacturers to take responsibility for safe disposal of their products.

WeRecycle! offers the most economic and environmentally responsible compliance option for electronics manufacturers that are required to either set up their own collection systems or sign up with a state-approved "collective" e-waste provider. Collection networks must be fully operational in every county, and in each municipality with a population over 10,000 people no later than April 1, 2011.

The company is among the largest electronics recyclers in New York State, and one of the fastest growing and most experienced in the nation. WeRecycle! is widely recognized for its sophisticated sorting technologies, which separates electronics into clean, high-value commodity streams. These proprietary, state-of-the-art systems also facilitate better and more accurate reporting under increasingly stringent regulatory requirements.

"We handle the entire process in-house to make sure it's done right and fully documented. Our process protects consumers from a data security breach and we insure that all equipment is processed domestically," said WeRecycle! President, Mick Schum. "That means our customers get the unassailable accountability and complete transparency they need to meet the growing scrutiny from regulators and watchdog groups."

WeRecycle! currently works with a variety of leading consumer brands in the electronics industry, as well as state, county and municipal governments throughout New York and the Northeast. That experience will be a tremendous advantage for customers when the sweeping new law takes effect across the state's 62 counties, particularly in the challenging landscape of New York City.

"Knowing the communities we serve and understanding the many ins and outs of the state law are going to be a critical factor for companies to successfully meet their new legal obligations," said WeRecycle! Vice President, Virgil Fisher. "WeRecycle! has more experience in markets throughout New York than anyone else. And because all of the material we collect is processed here in New York, the state and its taxpayers enjoy the economic benefits of this growing business."

WeRecycle! has significantly expanded its New York processing capacity to meet surging market demand. The company is fully certified under the e-Stewards Standard for Responsible Recycling and Reuse of Electronic Equipment®, the most robust and respected benchmark in the industry, ensuring safe handling of toxic substances, end-to-end accountability, and comprehensive environmental and employee safeguards.

By law each manufacturer must collect and recycle a specified amount of e-waste based on market share, and submit detailed reports to regulators documenting safe collection, processing and disposal of all material. Companies that fail to prove they have met their legal recycling goals will eventually be subject to escalating penalties depending on the shortfall. The program notches up again in 2015, when consumers will no longer be able to dispose of electronics in the regular waste stream.

SOURCE WeRecycle!