Holliston Recycler Earns Green Certifications

Electronic Recyclers International, which runs its Massachusetts operations from a facility on Cross St. in Holliston, is the first electronics recycler in the state to meet win two major certifications for sustainable practices, the company said.

ERI said its Holliston facility earned two industry certifications recently, complying with both the EPA's Responsible Recycling Practices for Electronics Recyclers (R2) certification and the Basel Action Network's (BAN's) e-Stewards Standard for Responsible Recycling and Reuse of Electronic Equipment . 

ERI said the dual stamps of approval make it the only recycler of electronics in the Bay State to hold both certifications. 

"We are extremely proud to be the first electronic recycler in Massachusetts to receive both R2 and e-Steward certifications," John S. Shegerian, Chairman and CEO of ERI, said in a news release. "Not only does it show that ERI has met the strictest standards of environmental and operational excellence, it also shows that we are dedicated to sustainable, environmentally friendly operations -- in Massachusetts and in all of our other locations as well."

R2 Certification is a set of guidelines for accredited certification programs to assess how well electronics recyclers perform in the areas of environmental compliance, worker health and safety, and security. The Environmental Protection Agency has been working on the voluntary standard with companies in the industry and other stakeholders since 1996. 

The e-Stewards Standard, meanwhile, was created by BAN with the advice of industry leaders as well health and environmental specialists. It requires recyclers to eliminate exports of hazardous e-wastes to developing countries, halt dumping of wastes in municipal landfills or incinerators and to refrain from using captive prison populations to manage toxic e-wastes, as well as data privacy guidelines. 

Based in Fresno, CA, ERI is now the largest recycler of electronic waste in the country, processing more than 120 million pounds of electronic waste every year at locations in California, Washington, Colorado, Indiana, Texas and North Carolina as well as in Massachusetts. 

Recycling and reuse is something of a cottage industry in Holliston, which is also home to the Southern New England operations of . That not-for-profit company is currently attempting to upgrade its own facilities--also located on Cross St.--where it sorts donated goods for resale and reuse, but is running into a roadblock created by a .