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King County Environmental Purchasing Program

Environmental Purchasing Bulletin #82:
Electronics Recycling Contract

PLEASE NOTE:  These bulletins, published since 1997, are historical.  The content is not updated.

Introduction

Discarded electronics represent a growing waste stream. State and local government agencies have identified electronic waste as their most significant waste problem with respect to management costs and potential environmental impacts. Electronic waste has become a primary concern as a result of the proliferation of new electronic products combined with their rapid obsolescence, low recycling rate and their potential to contain hazardous materials. Computer monitors and other equipment with Cathode Ray Tubes (CRT's) contain lead & mercury as well as other toxic materials that could be released to the environment if not handled properly. In 2000, an estimated 3.86 billion pounds of consumer electronics products were discarded in the municipal waste stream in the United States, representing 1.2% of all municipal solid waste according to the Product Stewardship Institute.

In the past, most broken equipment was tossed into the trash, but not any more. Concern for environmental impacts and liabilities and increasing regulation are bringing about the emergence of local businesses that recycle electronics responsibly. King County government is committed to recycling broken electronic equipment, and has created a contract with a local electronics recycler so that all County agencies can safely recycle their obsolete equipment. Because the ultimate disposition of these materials is important, the King County Solid Waste Division and Procurement Services Section jointly developed a specification to decrease our harmful impact on human health and the environment and issued a public Invitation To Bid (ITB) (details below).

Regulations

Washington State has Dangerous Waste laws that guide businesses and jurisdictions on how to handle their wastes, but to specifically address CRT's, the State Department of Ecology (DOE) has implemented an Interim Enforcement Policy, “Conditional Exclusion for Cathode Ray Tubes and Related Electronic Wastes."

King County and the City of Seattle have banned disposal of monitors and TV's by commercial sources (City includes residents too) at municipal landfills.

King County Usage History and Experience

King County has been recycling obsolete electronics equipment through a pilot program with a local electronics recycler since January, 2002. The success of this trial program lead to the creation of the following specification that was recently used in an Invitation To Bid (ITB), under which a new contract for electronics recycling services has just been awarded.

Per King County rules, working County equipment that is no longer needed by a department is sent to the Surplus office. This office first attempts to redistribute it to other County departments, then makes it available for donation to local non-profit organizations, and finally sells it at auction. The specification that follows is intended to take care of broken equipment that is not reusable.

King County Electronics Recycling Contract

This section contains excerpts from the provisions of King County's 2003 Invitation-To-Bid for Electronic Recycling Services:

SECTION 5 - SPECIFICATIONS

5-1 PURPOSE

The purpose of this Invitation to Bid (ITB) is to establish a contract that will enable King County to obtain Electronics Recycling Services as requested by various King County Departments, Divisions, and agencies. The contract period shall be one (1) year from the date of award of this ITB. King County may extend the contract period for two (2) additional one-year periods in accordance with the County’s best interest and at the sole option of the County.

King County defines electronics recycling as the means that equipment is reused, dismantled, or processed for the reuse or refining of its component parts so as to bring or restore the material to a state in which it can be used as a feedstock for manufacturing processes.

5-2 MANDATORY REQUIREMENTS
  • A. Vendor shall not maintain outdoor piles of dismantled equipment or parts, unless secondary containment is provided to prevent dust or runoff to drains.
    •
  • B. Burning or incineration shall not be considered recycling for the purposes of this contract.
  • C. Monitors, Televisions and other equipment containing Cathode Ray Tubes (CRTs):
    •
  • Vendor shall separate the plastic housings, copper wires and metals, CRTs and other materials. The CRTs shall be recycled at domestic (United States and Canada) glass-to-glass recycling facilities, lead smelters, or glass recyclers, per the Washington State Department of Ecology's Interim Enforcement Policy. Other components shall be recycled at appropriate recycling facilities. The vendor shall document any materials that cannot be recycled and that are disposed, per section 5-4 Usage Reports.
    •
  • D. Other Electronic Equipment (i.e. CPUs, circuit boards, power supplies, laptop computers, peripherals, VCRs, cables, etc)
    •
  • Vendor shall recycle the electronic equipment at appropriate domestic (United States and Canada) recycling facilities, in accordance with all Federal, State and Local regulations. The vendor shall document any materials that cannot be recycled and that are disposed, per section 5-4 Usage Reports.
    •
  • E. Batteries
    •
  • Vendor shall recycle batteries at a permitted battery recycling facility.
  • F. Bidders shall designate where the items will go for reuse, demanufacturing, recycling, or disposal. The list shall include all designated facilities that are involved in the handling and processing of the equipment. The list shall include each sub-contractor, broker, recycler, processor and transporter used in fulfilling this contract, and for each, shall provide a contact person, phone number, site address, and EPA ID number, if applicable. Bidders unable to provide a list, at the time of bid, of designated facilities will be disqualified.
    •
  • G. The contractor shall allow physical inspection of their facilities, including those of any sub-contractor, at any time upon notification by King County, to verify certification and to pre-qualify any and all subcontractors to be used in conjunction with this contract.
  • H. The contractor shall be currently operating out of a commercial facility, which is open and accessible to County personnel, without prior notice during normal business hours. Facilities shall be available between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday (excluding holidays).
    •

    5-3 REGULATORY COMPLIANCE
  • Vendor shall comply with all Federal, State, and Local regulations, and shall handle Dangerous Wastes in compliance with WAC 173-303, regardless of whether or not the processing location is in Washington state.
  • The Vendor shall comply with the Washington State Department of Ecology's Interim Enforcement Policy Conditional Exclusion for Cathode Ray Tubes and Related Electronic Wastes, and shall provide a copy of the letter submitted to the Department of Ecology that notifies Ecology that they are handling CRTs and other electronic wastes.

    • 5-4 USAGE REPORTS

    Annually, the contractor shall furnish to the Procurement Services Section usage reports showing a summary of the services and/or history of each county agency for the previous contract year. The report must show at minimum, the reporting period, description and total quantity of each item recycled/processed during the period, county agency, and total dollars billed per agency. King County reserves the right to request additional information, if required, when reviewing contract activity.

    Quarterly, the contractor shall furnish to the Solid Waste Division usage reports showing the following:
  • A. The Vendor shall list each sub-contractor, facility, and transporter used in fulfilling this contract, and for each, shall provide a contact person, phone number, site address, and EPA ID number, if applicable. The report shall also include the process and/or procedure used for each batch or unit accepted from the County.
  • B. Vendor shall provide documentation, describing which, if any, materials were disposed, the final destination of such materials, and the method of disposal.
    •

    SECTION 6 – PRICING 

    RECYCLING

     

     

     

     

    ITEM NO.

    DESCRIPTION

    PRICE

     

     

     

    1

    CRT

     

    $_______________/unit

    2

    Television, under 27”

     

    $_______________/unit

    3

    Television, over 27”

     

    $_______________/unit

    4

    Batteries contained within equipment including, but not limited to: lead acid, nickel-cadmium, nickel metal hydride, lithium, lithium-ion

     

    $____________/pound

    5

    Other Electronic Equipment

    King County defines other electronic equipment as:

    computer terminals, central processing units, laptop   computers, main frame computers, power    cables/connectors, power supply units, printed circuit boards  and computer cards, printers, scanners, keyboards,    mice, VCR, stereos, radios, telephones - all types, copiers, fax machines

    $____________/pound

     

    TRANSPORTATION

    Transportation of items to be recycled may be done by awarded Vendor or King County Agency personnel, at the County’s discretion.

    Pick up by awarded Vendor shall occur within 48 hours of call from King County Agency personnel.

    There will be no transportation charges for items dropped off by King County.

    Price per trip within Seattle City Limits $_______________/trip

    Price per trip outside Seattle, but within KC $_______________/trip

    For More Information

    Awarded King County Contract Vendor:
    PC Salvage
    P.O. Box 99324
    Tacoma, WA 98499-0324
    Toll Free: 1-866-341-8003
    E-mail: recycling@allaboutpcsalvage.com

    Full text of King County's Electronics Recycling bid

    King County Computer Recovery Project's website lists disposal options throughout King County

    Seattle area electronics recycling database

    Western Electronic Product Stewardship Initiative (WEPSI)

    Product Stewardship Institute

    Environmental Purchasing Program

    The King County Environmental Purchasing Program assists County agencies in implementation of King County Executive Policy CON-7-1-2, which requires agencies to use recycled and other environmentally preferable products wherever practicable.

    The program assembles information about these products and makes it available to specific agency users who can evaluate them and develop applications in County projects.

    These environmental purchasing bulletins contain information about the results of product evaluations and other accomplishments of County agencies. We hope this information will help you find ways to use recycled materials in the work of your agency and that you will contact us if we can help you with further information or if you have suggestions.

    Environmental Purchasing Program
    King County Procurement Services Division
    E-mail
    Published:   June 16, 2003

    Return to Environmental Purchasing Menu | Bulletin List

    Updated: June 16, 2003

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