ISRI approves e-scrap specs

By Henry Leineweber, Resource Recycling

The Board of Directors of the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries approved new scrap specifications for electronics at a Washington D.C. meeting yesterday. Originally approved by the ISRI Electronics Division the changes are the most recent in an ongoing series of tweaks and updates to the organization's guidelines for electronic scrap.

For eddy current separated Aluminum, ISRI recommends scrap on the market contain no more than 5 percent non-metallics and no more than 1 percent rubber or plastics, although it may contain independently agreed-upon levels of zinc and copper. Bulk density for material on the market should be a minimum of 30 pounds per cubic foot.

Similarly, eddy current-separated non-ferrous metals should meet the same bulk density requirements, and while they can be predominantly aluminum, can contain significant percentages of zinc or other non-ferrous metals.

The specifications recommend that shredded circuit board scrap not exceed a maximum size of two inches per piece with a maximum plastic content of 40 percent. This applies to both populated and unpopulated boards. Maximum metal contamination is recommended to be 5 percent for aluminum, 2 percent for iron, 2 percent for zinc, 1 percent for magnesium and under 200 parts per million for other elements.

The changes will be available in the next version of ISRI's Scrap Specifications Circular.

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