MRF Dirty MRF Europe / StoyanYotov, ShutterstockAn upcoming update to the RIOS certification will include stronger health and safety requirements and a greater focus on the global recycling industry.

The Global Recycling Standards Organization, home of the RIOS standard (Recycling Industry Operating Standard) announced that licensed copies of RIOS:2016 will be sent to active members on Nov. 1. RIOS:2016 is a certification program covering the areas of quality, environment, health and safety.

In addition, the Global Recycling Standards Organization announced a reduction in membership dues. The new pricing structure decreases the standard membership rate by about 40 percent. For example, the standard RIOS rate for the first facility certified for a given company will cost $2,500, down from $4,200.

“RIOS:2016, through its requirements and the changes that it will foster in facilities all over the world, is the tool that can help the industry take the next step,” Darrell Kendall, executive director of RIOS, stated in a press release. “The new standard, coupled with the reduced membership costs, make it possible for all facilities, no matter where they operate or what products they are recycling, to improve their safety culture, environmental impacts, and the quality of material they are producing.”

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