By Luke Wroblewski, CC license, Flickr
“You make it, you recycle it.” A new poll found that half of Americans believe major companies need to be accountable for the waste their products generate—and five of the biggest corporations on the planet are doing just that.
One company leading the way is Apple. Since 1994, Apple has operated its own green gadget recycling program and soon began collecting devices, computers, and printers in many countries—even Android models and Windows computers, not just iPhones and Macs—diverting tons of electronic waste from landfills, and saving precious materials.
By 2010, they were recycling 19 million pounds of e-waste annually—nearly 30% of the product weight sold seven years earlier, which is considered the device’s lifecycle.
Apple not only recycles for free, they offer trade-in value if your devices are worth any money.
All the e-waste Apple collects in North America is processed in the US, and nothing is shipped overseas for disposal.
Other companies, like Google, offer credits or free recycling in exchange for trading-in used gadgets. Google gives you an option to request a free shipping label to mail in some used gadgets and electronics for recycling.
Staples will recycle lots of devices, regardless of the brand, condition, or store where you originally purchased them. They offer an expanded list of items eligible, not only your old desktop, laptop, tablet computers, and peripherals, but also eReaders, shredders, monitors, GPS devices, battery backups, digital cameras, MP3 players, ink and toner, external hard drives, cordless phones, wireless routers, and more, according to PC Magazine. Their green collections since 2012 have totaled nearly 166 million pounds.
Walmart Gadgets to Gift Cards program will pay you for phones, tablets, game controllers, speakers, laptops, and wearables as long as they have enough value—but no matter what condition the items are in, they’ll be recycled. Some electronics are even reused, repaired, and refurbished. To participate in the program, fill out an online form, and you’ll get a free prepaid shipping label from FedEx Ground. If your item has monetary value, you’ll also receive a Walmart e-gift card.
PCmag.com reports that Best Buy has, arguably, the best recycling program going. “Its website details exactly what the store will take, and a drop-down menu in each category gets specific for your state. You can bring in up to three items per day. Most of them can be recycled for free; others might make you eligible for a discount or get you a trade-in deal.”
The new poll of 2,000 adults commissioned by Covanta, a resource in sustainable materials management, found over half of Americans (56%) are more likely to shop from a company that uses recycled materials in its products.
The majority of respondents answered the survey by OnePoll saying they wanted to see companies take responsibility of their waste stream: safely and securely destroy hazardous materials (59%), reuse and recycle materials when possible (58%), and make products with recyclable materials (53%)—which is another reason to salute Apple.
This week, ahead of Earth Day, the consumer giant announced “a major acceleration of its efforts to expand recycled materials”, including a new 2025 target to use 100 percent recycled cobalt in all Apple-designed batteries and entirely-recycled rare earth elements in its magnets. All printed circuit boards will use 100% recycled tin soldering and gold plating. The company already sources over two-thirds of its aluminum, nearly three-quarters of all rare earth metals, and more than 95% of all tungsten, from 100 percent recycled material.
“Corporations have a massive impact on the environment,” said Chief Sustainability Officer Tequila Smith at Covanta. “And it’s in their favor to be responsible for the waste they generate. They can achieve this by utilizing sustainable service options that maximize product reuse that contributes to the circular economy.”
53 percent of those polled said they’d be more inclined to be sustainable in their own home or neighborhood if they saw a large company take a stronger stance on climate action.
“There is a clear ‘want’ people have for products made sustainably and a level of inspiration that people gain when they see a company they like doing something good for the environment,” Smith concluded.
Regardless of what other companies are doing, we can all celebrate Earth Day by taking a few minutes to recycle our old electronics, rather than hoarding them in a drawer and later tossing them in the trash.
EASY EARTH DAY ACTION: Share This on Social Media With Friends Who Need a Nudge to Recycle…