NWRA Partners with CAER to Address Key Issues

Recognizing a shared commitment to the growth of the American recycling industry, the Coalition for American Electronics Recycling (CAER) and the National Waste & Recycling Association (NWRA) are partnering on key issues.

NWRA and CAER are natural allies in advancing policies that create jobs and promote investment while ensuring safe, responsible waste management. With approximately 700 members across all 50 states and the District of Columbia, NWRA represents about 70 percent of the private sector waste and recycling market, including publicly-traded and privately owned local, regional and Fortune 500 national and international companies. CAER represents U.S. companies that believe electronics recycling should be performed securely and sustainably, to protect national security and for the benefit of the American economy. CAER includes more than 150 companies and supporting members that operate about 300 processing facilities in 37 states, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia.

NWRA will lend its support to passage of CAER-backed legislation to address e-waste exports, the Secure E-waste Export and Recycling Act (SEERA – HR 917). SEERA proposes limits on exports of electronic scrap that provide essential feedstock for counterfeiters. Fake microchips made from e-waste, originating primarily from China, pose a threat to national security because they have been found in sensitive military hardware and critical infrastructure. By requiring domestic recycling of untested, non-working e-waste, SEERA will also promote investment in the American electronics recycling sector and create up to 42,000 jobs.

In addition, CAER will participate in NWRA’s new supply chain recycling group, Organizations for Supply Chain Recycling (OSCR). This multi-industry coalition will provide forum to discuss ideas for supporting a sustainable supply chain and ways to generate demand for recyclable materials that will encourage job creation. CAER members share a commitment to promoting reuse and extending the useful life of electronics to promote sustainability.

Through this collaboration, NWRA and CAER will support business growth and job creation while enhancing national security and protecting the environment.