R2V3 certification is a standard for responsible electronics recycling by SERI. It ensures companies recycling electronic waste or e-waste is disposing of the items responsibly. It strictly mandates destruction protocols and emphasizes worker safety. In 2022, Rocycle began seriously pursuing R2V3 certification.
For us, a small company with ten employees, that meant we took a year to put policies and procedures in place that covered hazard assessments, facilities mapping, transporter checklists, process documenting, vendor assessments, and lots of procedure creation.
While pursuing the R2V3 certification, we were also simultaneously pursuing the required ISO certifications needed to be compliant with R2V3; ISO 9001, ISO 14001, and ISO 45001.
We worked with a third party company that helped us through the process. We set an end date and got to work. As the quality, environmental, health and safety designated representative at Rocycle, each week, I had a stack of tasks to perform and documents to create to achieve the goal.
As new processes and procedures were ready, we rolled them out to the Rocycle team. We learned to not only label our equipment designated for downstream, we date it. SDS sheets were created listing all the cleaning chemicals we use. A regular training schedule was implemented for regular reminders of health and safety, general awareness, hazmat and spill response, and PPE gear.
We hired an environmental safety consultant to test the air while using the glass cleaner and degreaser we utilize on a regular basis. We hired a scale calibration company to calibrate our forklift scales and our desktop scales. We added pollution liability insurance.
As we approach our first annual recertification, I feel confident that the Rocycle team knows how to process the equipment we receive, handle emergency situations we may encounter, and create the necessary documentation for our upcoming renewal.
