A New Place for eWaste (thanks, Sony!)

In 2005 unwanted electronics amounted to about 2 million tons. Of that, almost all of it was dumped in landfills.

Part of the responsibility that any society must accept is to cause the least damage to the environment – our support system – as possible.

Imagine a company with a goal of recycling one pound of old consumer electronics equipment for every pound of new products sold. Here’s what Sony has to say about that:

To encourage consumers to recycle and dispose of electronic devices in an environmentally sound manner, Sony has established a national recycling program for consumer electronics. The Sony Take Back Recycling Program allows consumers to recycle all Sony-branded products for no fee at 75 Waste Management (WM) Recycle America eCycling drop-off centers throughout the U.S.

The program also allows consumers to recycle other manufacturers’ consumer electronics products at market prices, which may include a recycling fee for some types of materials.Sony and WM Recycle America are also working towards the goal of having enough drop-off locations in all 50 states so there is a recycling center within 20 miles of 95 percent of the U.S. population.

Consumers will also have the option of shipping their used Sony electronics products to select WM Recycle America locations.The Sony Take Back Recycling Program is part of Sony’s broader global commitment to environmental stewardship, which spans product design, recycling, facilities management and energy conservation across all categories.

“We believe it is Sony’s responsibility to provide customers with end-of-life solutions for all the products we manufacture,” said Stan Glasgow, president and chief operating officer of Sony Electronics. “Through the Take Back Recycling Program, our customers will know that their Sony products will be recycled in an environmentally responsible manner.”

By recycling old electronics products, useful materials – such as glass, plastic and metals – can be collected and re-used in the manufacture of other products. Recycling not only minimizes the amount of waste disposed, it also minimizes the extraction of new raw materials from the earth and resources required for processing, saving energy and reducing greenhouse gases in the process. Taking fewer new materials from the Earth and re-introducing old materials into the manufacturing process is wise.

We applaud Sony and WM Recycle America for removing a significant barrier to recycling electronic equipment. Please check them out. If you do not see a recycling site nearby then let them know so they can know where the demand is.