eWaste Specialist Joins Fight to Stop Toxic Trade
Materials Processing Corp., an electronics recycling specialist, on Oct. 23 joined the Basel Action Network (BAN). The move follows the company's nationwide effort in 2007 to help electronics recyclers raise environmental standards across the industry.
"The electronics recycling industry has come a long way in the last few years," says Todd Schachtman, president of Global Business Development at the company. "Like MPC, there are a few companies who place an extremely high value on both quality and environmental standards, but unfortunately there is still work to be done educating smaller, older recyclers to improve their environmental operations."
The company, which runs a 100 percent no landfill facility in Eagan, Minn., and processes all waste onsite, will become a leading member of BAN's E-Waste Stewardship Project. The project, a consortium of like-minded electronics recyclers and manufacturers, is dedicated to providing education about the export of electronic waste to poor or developing countries. Its ultimate goal is to eradicate the transportation and export of toxic electronic waste to third world, poor, or developing countries and to ensure the practice is replaced with manufacturer responsibility and both green designs and legislation.
"MPC signing the BAN pledge today is an example of the level of environmental stewardship we expect from our partners," says Daniel Kim, general manager of Environmental Compliance, LG Electronics USA, Inc., a partner of MPC. "That level of commitment is central to our policy at LG and we believe ultimately it will benefit the Earth's environment."
"We're thrilled to be working with MPC," says Yuka Takamiya, Basel Action Network. "They have both an excellent and irrefutable reputation for environmental stewardship as well as a real passion and commitment to helping others in the industry improve their operational and environmental protocols as much as they can. They're a true leader."