ERI was one of the early founders and supporters of the e-Stewards program at the Basel Action Network (BAN), a nonprofit organization that works against the disproportionate dumping of toxic waste in the world's poorest villages. The fastest-growing toxic waste stream on earth is from computers, mobile phones and other electronics, BAN says. Through its e-Stewards program, BAN certifies electronic recyclers who have committed to environmentally sound standards for disposing of electronic waste.
"Increasingly, along with the carbon footprint, every major enterprise is beginning to realize that there's also a toxic footprint, and needs to take steps to ensure that their own electronic equipment at the end of its life goes only to the most responsible recyclers, and those are the e-Standards certified recyclers," said Jim Puckett, executive director of BAN, who pointed to Shegerian as someone who has helped raise the bar in the recycling movement.
BAN also has an e-Stewards enterprise program for major institutions and corporations that have agreed to make their best effort to only use e-Stewards recyclers. Among the enterprises that have adopted the e-Standard are Samsung of Korea, Bank of America and Wells Fargo.
Meanwhile, e-waste legislation has been tightening. To date, 27 states have passed such legislation, which requires e-waste to be recycled in proportion to how much a firm sells.
In 2008, Shegerian purchased the phone number 1-800-Recycling and the corresponding Web site, 1800recycling.com, services that streamline the recycling process. He launched the website and brand late last year. By calling or visiting the online site, users can select specific recyclable products from a provided list and enter their zip code to access a comprehensive index of appropriate local recycling facilities. Recently, 1800-Recycling also launched a corresponding iPhone application, "My Recycle List."
Bruce W. Fraser, a financial writer based in New York, is a frequent contributor to FA Green. He may be reached at [email protected]. Visit him at www.bwfraser.com/home.