Certified Automotive Recyclers and EPA Partnership Off and Running!
The Automotive Recyclers Association began a new partnership with the National Partnership for Environmental Priorities (NPEP) on October 1, 2007. NPEP is a partnership program between private and public organizations and the EPA, whose goal is to reduce the use and release of 31 specific Priority Chemicals (PCs).
Mercury, the only NPEP PC that professional automotive recyclers typically encounter, is required to be collected by ARA’s CAR program members by participation in the National Vehicle Mercury Switch Recovery Program (NVMSRP) or an equivalent state program. This CAR standard was adopted earlier this year and has gained the CAR program valuable recognition in the environmental community.
ARA’s CAR Committee set a goal of 246 pounds of mercury, which equates to 112,266 mercury switches, that CAR members will be striving to collect throughout the year. Reaching this goal will not only show the CAR members’ drive to go above and beyond federal and state regulations, but it will also demonstrate their extraordinary commitment to the environment. The automotive recycling industry is sometimes construed as “environmentally unfriendly;” however, by working with EPA and other environmental groups, auto recyclers are educating more people about the huge environmental benefits provided by automobile recyclers.
ARA is the first association to join the NPEP program. ARA’s partnership with the EPA through the NPEP program will provide valuable acknowledgement and publicity for the association, its members and the CAR program. ARA and the CAR program will be publicized on the program’s website, and ARA will be able to submit articles for publication in the NPEP Bulletin.
