URT was the first glass processor in the U.S. to become e-Stewards approved under the e-Stewards® Pledge Program, and is now preparing to graduate to become one of the first e-Stewards® Certified Recyclers. The e-Stewards® Certified Recyclers Program is the world's only environmental group endorsed, third-party audited certification. It is designed to provide rigorous assurance that member recyclers are using the most responsible practices. Manufacturers may also participate in the program as e-Stewards® Enterprises, vowing to use only certified recyclers for their own recycling needs.
According to the environmental watchdog organization the Basel Action Network (BAN), about 80 percent of the e-waste consumers deliver to recyclers is not recycled by those receiving the material at all but is simply shipped to countries in Asia and Africa to some of the world's most impoverished communities where the waste is smashed, burned, melted or chemically treated in extremely dangerous backyard operations. BAN warns businesses and consumers to hand over their old electronic equipment only to designated e-Stewards® Recyclers like URT that have been carefully screened and audited to ensure they do not export, use prison labor or dump toxics in municipal landfills and incinerators.