EQ – The Environmental Quality Company has once again renewed their contract with End of Life Vehicle Solutions (ELVS). Through EQ, ELVS is able to provide recyclers with storage buckets for the collection of automotive mercury switches. Since 2006 the ELVS program has successfully collected almost 4 million switches and recovered over 8,700 pounds of mercury.
ELVS was created by the automotive industry to promote environmental efforts, outreach programs and the proper management of mercury and other substances of concern. ELVS manages the nationwide National Vehicle Mercury Switch Recovery Program to collect, transport, report, recycle or dispose of elemental mercury from automotive switches.
Program successes have been achieved by providing states with educational outreach programs and the information and supplies needed to remove, collect and transport switches to proper recycling and disposal facilities. Educational materials such as web resources, written training materials and training videos are all provided.
EQ and ELVS work together to facilitate dismantlers’ and recyclers’ removal of automotive mercury switches prior to a vehicle being scrapped. This process is important because if mercury switches are not removed prior to a scrap vehicle being processed by electric arc furnaces, mercury emissions will impact groundwater resources. Once recyclers remove the switches and place the mercury in its provided bucket it is shipped to EQ where we will facilitate all necessary recycling of the switches.