RFID LifeCycle Issues: OFEE and EPA Host Meeting on Recycling Impacts of RFID Tags

From Office of the Federal Environmental Executive ...

... "OFEE and the Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Solid Waste co-hosted a meeting on the impact of radio frequency identification (RFID) tags on packaging materials reuse and recycling. Participants included representatives of the Department of Defense, the General Services Administration, the industrial drum recyclers, the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries, and the paper, steel, aluminum, glass, and plastic packaging industries. The intent of the meeting was to provide the potentially affected recyclers and users of recycled materials with an understanding of what RFID tags are, what constituents they contain, and how they are and will be used. Wal-Mart is requiring its top 100 suppliers to place RFID tags on product cases and pallets by January 2005, beginning in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. The use of RFID tags is intended to improve inventory control and logistics. The Department of Defense also will require the placement of RFID tags on specified products going to specified depots beginning in January 2005. Other users of the tags are Target Stores, Best Buy, and the Albertsons grocery store chain. RFID tags also could be used in the future to meet new Food and Drug Administration requirements to label medications." ...

Under Executive Order 13101, the Federal Environmental Executive (FEE) chairs the White House Task Force on Waste Prevention and Recycling. The Task Force works to provide clear national direction for federal agencies and track government's progress for waste prevention, recycling, and the purchase of recycled-content and environmentally preferable services and products, including biobased products. The Task Force is directed by a Steering Committee composed of the FEE, the Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, and the Administrator of the Office of Management and Budget's Office of Federal Procurement Policy.

The Task Force advises and assists the Steering Committee and the Federal agencies, makes recommendations concerning policy, facilitates implementation, provides a centralized focal point for assistance and direction, and helps educate and train people in the requirements of the Executive Order. The Steering Committee members are among the President's chief advisors on environmental and acquisition issues, underscoring that successful integration of environmental and energy considerations into an agency's daily operations requires close coordination by environmental, acquisition, and facilities staff.