July 19, 2005—A trial effort to evaluate feasibility of widespread recycling of consumer electronics shows that items such as computers can be easily recycled at low cost to consumers and retailers.
Analysis was recently completed on a pilot program called “eCycling,” a collaboration between the United States Environmental Protection Agency, Staples, Inc., and the Product Stewardship Institute, Inc. (PSI) The program sought to determine if a major retailer such as Staples could provide recycling services for e-waste (i.e., unwanted electronic equipment) to its retail and commercial customers within the company’s existing distribution infrastructure.
Analysis of the pilot indicates that eCycling was cost effective, and was well received by consumers and Staples. Program organizers found the retail collection model appears to be a viable option to complement and expand the existing e-waste collection infrastructure, although retailers may conclude that nominal user fees would need to be charged to consumers to offset the collection and recycling costs. Generally, high transportation costs are one of the barriers for providing cost-efficient eCycling services.
The Boston-based Product Stewardship Institute, a national nonprofit organization that promotes sustainable resource use, managed the grant.
Conducted during the summer of 2004, the project collected unwanted electronic equipment sold by Staples (including laptops, computer processing units, monitors, printers, fax machines, and small peripheral devices) from both retail and commercial customers, and provided recycling services using “reverse logistics” via Staples’ delivery trucks and its existing product distribution network.
The pilots collected and recycled a total of 57 tons of e-waste during several months in mid-2004. For more information, visit the PSI Web site.
