Recycling is one of the most useful environmental practices around. The benefits of recycling include protecting habitat and biodiversity, energy conservation, water, and resources such as trees and metal ores. Recycling also cuts global warming pollution from manufacturing, landfilling and incinerating. However, materials recycling also presents several challenges that must be managed, such as heavy metals and hazardous wastes from electronics recycling, and generation of hazardous materials such as lead, mercury, and corrosives from used appliances.
Certification Audit Preparation
ESS, Inc. provides certification audit preparation services to include the following:
- ISO 14001, Recycling Industry Operating Standard (RIOS), and Responsible Recycling (R2) certification audit preparation
- Providing employee training on these standards
- Document review and operating procedure preparation
- Corrective active implementation and verification
ESS, Inc. conducts a full comprehensive pre-certification audit of your recycling operations to ensure that all minimum standards are met. We will assist with data collection, checklist preparation, document management, employee training and developing operating procedures to ensure a successful certification audit of your facility.
Waste Management
ESS, Inc. has successfully implemented Hazardous and Universal Waste Management programs at several recycling facilities. These programs have included developing weekly waste area inspection checklists, Drum, Container & Materials Management Plan, Recycling & Waste Minimization Plan, and Standard Operating Procedures for solid waste management. Hazardous and Universal Waste Training courses are presented to your employees to ensure that employees know and understand the requirements for handling and proper disposal of these wastes. Department of Transportation (DOT) training is also offered for employees that are required to sign manifests and certify hazardous materials and waste shipments.
Environmental Downstream Vendor Audits
Downstream Vendor Audits are essential to reduce liability during the material recycling process, and helps to ensure that materials are recycled responsibly and not exported to developing countries for disposal. ESS, Inc. will perform a full downstream vendor audit of all recycling operations including the following:
- Environmental Health and Safety Policy
- Financial Stability
- Monitoring and Measurement
- Operations
- Corrective Action
- Management Review
- Employee Training
- Document Control
- Internal Audit