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THE
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Newsletter of the Canadian Association of Recycling Industries
Volume 17, No. 6, June 2012
President’s Message | Member Activity | Fast Facts
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE 
This month marks the end of my two year term as CARI President. Serving as President was a great opportunity and a big responsibility, but I leave the position with a sense of pride at what CARI has accomplished over these last two years.
Before joining CARI’s Board, I thought I was an engaged member of CARI. Becoming a member of the Board gave me greater insight into all the association does for its members and for our industry as a whole. Serving as President strengthened my belief that membership in CARI is an investment in your company. Ours is an international industry, so having a strong unified voice advocating for the Canadian industry is vital. Not only must we tackle issues on a national and regional level, we must also ensure that our industry remains open to free and fair trade and to competition.
My goal as President was to build on and enhance the solid foundation created by my predecessors. I promised to make CARI even more efficient, more effective, and more relevant, and I believe I have succeeded. Over the last two years our membership has grown moderately, and the Association is financially sound. CARI has strengthened ties with various Canadian government departments and with other recycling organizations. We have provided members with tools to make their workplace environment safer, tools to combat metal theft, and tools to make connections and network. And all the while we have been advocating strongly for our members and for our industry, both within Canada and internationally.
Over the last two years I have met many people in this industry, and I know that CARI’s strength is its members. Many of you are passionate about your businesses, and passionate about the issues our industry is tackling. I encourage you to bring that passion to CARI. Be active; be vocal; be involved. Only by working together will we solve the common problems we face. With the support, input and participation of its members, CARI will continue to grow. I know I will remain an active member, and I encourage all of you to be the same.
Bertrand Van Dorpe
CARI President
MEMBER ACTIVITY
John Zubick Ltd has opened a new electronics recycling program, eZcycle. Outside the front gate of their existing London facility is a new electronics collection depot open to the public 24 hours a day, all year round. The drop-off bins are safe, secure and easy to use, and set to receive a number of electronic devices including computers, TVs and monitors, cell phones, and business equipment. Zubick also offers an onsite collection service for business owners.
FAST FACTS
 Intercontinental Exchange Inc. and Hong Kong Exchanges & Clearing Ltd. are the two companies left bidding for the London Metal Exchange. The two remaining bidders met shareholders in London at the end of last month and resubmitted proposals to the LME board last week. Both have promised for the time being to keep the LME’s unique composition, including its warehousing network, complex prompt-date structure, and open outcry trading.
- Producers and importers of electronic equipment in China will now have to pay into a fund meant to subsidize the cost of handling scrap electronics. The fund will be used for environmental protection and is handled by six government departments. Subsidies will be offered for the responsible recycling of e-scrap.
- This month the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) will begin conducting a survey to uncover how much e-waste is exported overseas and how much is recycled domestically. The survey will be sent to a number of companies selected at random, and each company will have one month to complete it. Because of the statutory powers of the ITC, the selected companies are required by law to complete it. Final survey results will be announced in early 2013.
- At its recent conference in Rome, BIR announced it will expel any members found guilty of exporting hazardous waste to Indonesia. Earlier this year toxic chemicals and other hazardous materials were found in a number of containers. Indonesia’s customs authorities have increased checks on imports, resulting in hold ups of the containerised scrap. Some Indonesian mills have been forced to buy billet for their electric arc furnaces as a result.
- Last week the City of Toronto became the first in Canada to ban plastic bags. The ban was the surprising result of a lengthy debate over the current 5 cent levy on plastic shopping bags. Beginning in January 2013, the ban will “prohibit all City of Toronto retail stores from providing customers with single-use plastic carryout (shopping) bags, including those advertised as compostable, biodegradable, photodegradable or similar.
- This summer several name brand companies such as Costco Wholesale, Esteé Lauder, Microsoft, and Yoplait will begin using the How2Recycle Label. These labels were developed by GreenBlue and modelled after the U.K.’s On-Pack Recycling Label (OPRL). The new system is meant to eliminate confusion over a product’s recyclability, and is the result of more than three years of research, a national effort to collect updated recyclability data in conjunction with industry partners, and extensive consumer testing.
- Resource Association, a new professional advocacy body for the reprocessing and recycling industries in the U.K., is hoping to provide the public with a clearer picture of where their recycling ultimately ends up with the “End Destinations of Recycling Charter.” The charter is a voluntary initiative to improve the transparency around the end destination of recyclable materials from the household waste stream. The group hopes by raise awareness and understanding of the recycling system, it will improve the public’s perception of recycling and increase their participation in recycling programs. A copy of the charter is available here.
- The Ontario Electronic Stewardship program recently announced it had collected more than 100,000 tonnes of electronic waste since April 2009. The milestone was reached at the end of May 2012.
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