United States – According to data compiled by the USA’s Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), year-on-year recycling rates for e-scrap have reached new heights after soaring 53% in 2011 alone.
The total volume of electronics and electrics recycled by participants in the CEA’s own eCycling Leadership Initiative reached 460 million pounds, easily surpassing the 300 million pounds recorded the previous year. The association adds that roughly 96% of all material collected in 2011 was processed by either an R2 or e-Stewards certified e-scrap processor.
This performance is partly due to a notable increase in access to recycling, which saw the number of drop-off locations for electronics and electrics grow from 5000 to 7500 during the period. A website launched by the initiative last autumn – called GreenerGadgets.org – is said to have made a positive contribution by allowing consumers to input their zip code and find electronics recycling services in their area, as well as to look up information on the value of their old devices.
In the opinion of Best Buy’s Government Relations Director Parker Brugge, these services are vital if rates are to continue on their upward trend. ‘We need to get to the point where consumers are able to make an educated decision about recycling their electronics,’ he states. ‘Obviously, we’ve got a long way to go, but better access to collection is part of that.’
The eCycling Leadership Initiative is designed to co-ordinate efforts towards the recycling of 1 billion pounds of consumer electronics by the year 2016. The initiative includes 20 OEMs and major retailers such as Apple, Sony, Panasonic, Best Buy, Dell and HP.
For more information, visit: www.ce.org
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