ISRI launches online Superfund report reservation system

The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI) launched a new online, automated Superfund Recycling Equity Act (SREA) report system to assist ISRI members in reserving and obtaining the necessary reports that help them to be exempted from Superfund liability.

ISRI members can make reservations for, and obtain, SREA reports through a web-based form ISRI is offering through its SREA Reasonable Care Compliance Program.

ISRI successfully worked in 1999 with Congress to obtain an exemption for recyclers from Superfund liability, but that exemption is not automatic. The 1999 law requires recyclers to conduct due diligence demonstrating that they checked to make sure their customers are in compliance with applicable environmental laws and regulations prior to shipment of recyclable materials to these customers.

ISRI president Robin Wiener noted that while due diligence reports can cost upwards of several thousand dollars if done individually, ISRI has contracted with URS, an environmental consulting firm, to provide these reports at a substantial discount. ISRI is in turn offering ISRI members the opportunity to reserve and receive their reports for a handling charge of $12. However, due to budget restrictions, ISRI can provide only a limited number of unique SREA due-diligence reports at the reduced rate. The terms of the program may be found at www.isri.org/srea.

“ISRI is working to ensure that our members save money and time and protect themselves through this important program,” Wiener said. “The ISRI board believes that helping members protect themselves is a critical role for ISRI, and that is why it has approved several hundred thousand dollars of ISRI’s budget to be used for the purchase of these reports and decided to only pass on a minimal handling charge per report to its members. I strongly encourage our members to take advantage of this system that is easy to use, a potentially significant money saver and hard to pass up.”

ISRI has scheduled a workshop on SREA issues at its annual convention and exposition, one of the world’s largest meetings of scrap recycling professionals. The workshop is scheduled for April 7 and will focus on how recyclers can better understand their responsibilities and the tools that ISRI provides to help meet SREA’s due-diligence requirements. The session will be led by the URS senior reviewer in charge of the overall SREA program.

“At our company, we feel it is extremely important to protect our future. By completing the SREA due diligence, we are doing our best to avoid a costly mistake down the road,” said Matt Kripke of Kripke Enterprises. “Requesting the reports from ISRI allows us to take advantage of economies of scale and pay only a fraction of what it would cost us to order the data on our own,” concluded Kripke.

ISRI’s SREA report system began accepting report reservations from qualified recyclers on March 16, and will continue to do so through April 30.

Members should make their reservations by the April 30 deadline. The program is currently budgeted to cover reports on approximately 1,400 different consuming facilities. If necessary, ISRI will prioritize reports based on a computer algorithm that takes into account demand for each consuming facility and other criteria.