CEA: Consumer Electronics Recycling Up 53%; National Program Still Needed Apr 18, 2012

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The consumer electronics (CE) industry substantially increased its recycling in 2011 and advanced the goals set by the eCycling Leadership Initiative, according to the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA).

CEA's release of The First Annual Report of the eCycling Leadership Initiative reported that:

* Participants of the Initiative arranged for the recycling of 460 million pounds of consumer electronics, up 53% increase from the 300 million pounds recycled in 2010.
* Electronics manufacturers and retailers increased the number of recycling drop-off locations for consumers nationwide to nearly 7,500, up from just over 5,000 a year ago.
* By the end of 2011, 96% of the recycling done by initiative participants was conducted in third-party certified recycling facilities.

CEA has launched GreenerGadgets.org, where consumers can find nearby recycling drop-offs.

Gary Shapiro, president and CEO of CEA, noted the success of the initiative's first year but said, "We continue to push for a national solution to eCycling that will eliminate the costly and confusing patchwork of state regulations."

The eCycling Leadership Initiative's goal is to achieve an annual consumer electronics recycling rate of 1 billion pounds by 2016 - three times that of 2010. The initiative, also known as the Billion Pound Challenge, is a collaboration among consumer electronics manufacturers, retailers, collectors, recyclers, non-governmental organizations, and governments at all levels.

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