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Plug-In To eCycling

An Effective Practice

Description

Plug-In To eCycling is a consumer electronics campaign working to increase the number of electronic devices collected and safely recycled in the United States. Launched in January 2003, Plug-In To eCycling is one component of EPA's Resource Conservation Challenge (RCC), a national effort to find flexible, yet more protective ways to conserve our valuable resources. It is also part of EPA's Product Stewardship Program.

Plug-In To eCycling focuses on three major areas:
-Providing the public with information about electronics recycling and increasing opportunities to safely recycle old electronics.
-Facilitating partnerships with communities, electronics manufacturers, and retailers to promote shared responsibility for safe electronics recycling.
-Establishing pilot projects to test innovative approaches to safe electronics recycling.

Goal / Mission

The goal of Plug-In To eCycling is to increase the number of electronic devices collected and safely recycled in the United States.

Results / Accomplishments

Sample achievements include:
-By sponsoring 20 events, Best Buy collected over 1,060,000 pounds, representing a 30-percent increase in the amount of consumer electronics collected in previous years.
-Cingular collected over 220,000 pounds of mobile phones, batteries, and accessories for reuse, resale, and recycling through its collection programs.
-Dell recycled 298,000 pounds of electronic products at U.S. collection events. Dell also worked with EPA to sponsor a free electronics collection event in New Orleans on December 3, 2005 to increase collection and safe recycling of computers and other electronic equipment in areas affected by Hurricane Katrina.

About this Promising Practice

Organization(s)
US Environmental Protection Agency
Primary Contact
Verena Radulovic
US EPA
Office of Solid Waste (5305W)
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20460
(703) 605-0760
radulovic.verena@epa.gov
http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/partnerships/plugin/in...
Topics
Environmental Health / Toxins & Contaminants
Organization(s)
US Environmental Protection Agency
Date of publication
2006
Date of implementation
2003
Location
USA