Date: October 24, 2011
Source: Covanta Energy Corporation
Covanta Energy Corp. (Morristown, NJ) has launched a new subsidiary called ECOvanta to recycle used electronics (e-waste). ECOvanta's first facility is in Philadelphia and will employ a combination of manual disassembly together with an automated shredding system to separate materials into commodities for recycling. The facility has been audited and recommended to receive the R2 and ISO 14001:2004 certifications for proper e-waste recycling. The company in turn audits its downstream vendors to ensure they too are recycling properly. Like its parent company, ECOvanta will also offer secure destruction services, especially for equipment that could include sensitive data. "We are excited to be launching this new venture into e-waste recycling," said Seth Myones, Covanta Americas president. "It is a growing market, and we see a great opportunity to a provide proper, responsible way to recycle and dispose of these materials as more and more people become aware of its importance."
PRESS RELEASE
October 24, 2011
ECOvanta Celebrates Grand Opening in Philadelphia
New electronic waste recycler to service consumers, businesses, manufacturers, and agencies/institutions in the region with secure, sustainable and responsible recycling
PHILADELPHIA, Oct. 24, 2011 -- /PRNewswire/ -- Covanta Energy Corporation, a world leader in the development and operation of Energy-from-Waste (EfW) facilities and other renewable energy projects, today announced the launch of a new business to responsibly recycle and dispose of electronic waste (e-waste). ECOvanta, located on 58th Street in West Philadelphia, is a state-of-the-art recycling facility that properly recycles electronic waste such as computers, monitors, mobile phones, printers and televisions. The facility safely manages end-of-life electronics using a combination of manual disassembly and an automated shredding system to separate materials into commodities for recycling.
E-waste is the fastest growing segment of the municipal waste stream in the U.S. with over three million tons of electronics generated each year of which only 14% is recovered for recycling. The rest typically ends up in landfills. Electronics should not be disposed of in the trash because most contain heavy metals such as lead (avg. monitor contains 4-7 lbs. of lead), mercury and cadmium.
"It's important to properly recycle electronic waste to ensure we protect our environment from potential harm. I'm happy to see that new businesses like ECOvanta are coming to Philadelphia. They are not only providing a solution to this issue, but they are also creating new investment in our community," said Carlton Williams, deputy commissioner of sanitation, City of Philadelphia, Streets Department.
ECOvanta has successfully passed audits and has been recommended to receive the R2 and ISO 14001:2004 certifications. These rigorous third-party certifications ensure that e-waste is being recycled responsibly and sustainably. Everything that comes through the ECOvanta facility is sold or recycled as a processed commodity according to R2 standards. ECOvanta also audits all downstream vendors to ensure that they too are recycling correctly.
"We are excited to be launching this new venture into e-waste recycling. It is a growing market and we see a great opportunity to a provide proper, responsible way to recycle and dispose of these materials as more and more people become aware of its importance. In addition, we are proud to be providing new green jobs in the City of Philadelphia," said Seth Myones, Covanta Americas president.
ECOvanta also offers secure destruction services for customers who require assured and certified destruction of their electronic equipment. Customers can follow the secure chain of custody process to track and identify material as it moves through the system. The process eliminates risks to information integrity by completely sanitizing hard drives or other storage media using a leading software program that meets all regulated destruction standards prior to manual disassembly and shredding.
The facility serves customers throughout the Mid-Atlantic, New York/New Jersey and New England.
About ECOvanta
ECOvanta is a new electronic waste ("e-waste") recycling business owned by Covanta Energy Corporation, an internationally recognized owner and operator of Energy-from-Waste and renewable energy projects. Located in Philadelphia, PA ECOvanta provides a one source solution for responsible and sustainable e-waste recycling and secure destruction services. ECOvanta has recently been recommended for Responsible Recycling (R2) and ISO 14001:2004 certifications after completing a third party auditing process. For more information, visit www.ecovanta.com.
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