U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Stephen L. Johnson was on hand to congratulate participants in the program, which is a partnership between EPA, states, automakers, auto dismantlers, scrap recyclers, steelmakers, environmental groups, and ARA.

ARA leaders took part in the landmark event, including President Sandy Blalock, Executive Vice President Michael E. Wilson, and Jon Samson, ARA manager of Government Affairs.

 
"To be able to celebrate the recovery of the one millionth mercury switch is an achievement in itself, but having the attendance of both United States Senators from Georgia, Johnny Isakson and Saxby Chambliss, as well as the administrator of the EPA, shows the importance of the issue and the importance of the NVMSRP," Blalock said. 

In 2007, ARA mandated participation in the NVMSRP for all of its Certified Automotive Recycler (CAR) members.

The collection of the millionth switch is a sign of the progress the program has achieved toward reducing the amount of mercury released into the environment as a result of processing end-of-life vehicles (ELVs).  The program, instituted in 2006, aims to capture 80 to 90 percent of mercury switches by 2017, at which time most pre-2003 vehicles (the vehicles most likely to contain mercury switches) are expected to be off the road. 

 
EPA estimates that approximately 8 tons of mercury are emitted each year from electric arc furnaces that melt scrap metal from ELVs.