January 26, 2007—Retailers and electronics manufacturers voluntarily recycled more than 34 million pounds of electronics in 2006 as part of their commitment to the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Plug-In To eCycling program, reports the EPA.
The program is a voluntary partnership between EPA and electronics manufacturers and retailers to offer consumers more opportunities to donate or recycle their used electronics. Since 2003, Plug-In partners have recycled more than 95 million pounds of electronics, according to EPA figures.
Plug-In partners take various approaches—either national or regional—to give individuals ecycling options. Partners may offer online take back or trade-in programs, create partnerships with local organizations to facilitate collections or host collection events at retail locations, and support local recycling events with cities and municipalities.
EPA says Plug-In partner initiatives are successful because they share responsibility for recycling among manufacturers, retailers, governments, and consumers. These efforts often complement local recycling efforts.
EPA’s Plug-In to eCycling Partners include: Apple, Best Buy, Cingular, Dell, eBay’s Rethink initiative, HP, Intel, JVC, Lexmark, NEC Display, Office Depot, Panasonic, Philips, Samsung, Sharp, Sony, Staples, and Toshiba.
For more information about the Plug-In program and its partners, or about electronics recycling, visit EPA’s site.
