Guidelines for Materials Management

The Plug-In To eCycling Guidelines for Materials Management are EPA’s voluntary guidelines for sound reuse and recycling of e-waste.

The Guidelines encourage anyone who handles used electronic equipment to:

Maximize reuse, refurbishment, and recycling over disposal and incineration.
Ensure that exported electronic products are being sent for legitimate reuse, recycling, or refurbishment, and provide for special handling of components which may contain substances of concern.
Make sure that collection, recycling, refurbishing, and disposal facilities follow management practices that are consistent with the Guidelines.

In addition to ensuring environmentally safe recycling of old electronics, these Guidelines aim to promote and maintain adequate markets for the reuse and recycling of electronic equipment by providing safe, reusable equipment or industrial feedstock materials to legitimate markets, wherever they exist.

EPA issued the Guidelines in 2004. Over the past few years, EPA has been facilitating a multi-stakeholder initiative for the development of “responsible recycling” practices that likely will be incorporated into a certification program for e-waste recyclers.

Plug-In To eCycling: Guidelines for Materials Management (PDF) (8 pp, 156K, about PDF)
EPA Press Advisory - May 12, 2004

Top of page

Guidelines for Materials Management

Local Navigation