Here is the intersection ot two very important topics in my life. Way to go
Staples!
Staples Launches Nationwide Computer and Office Technology Recycling Program
Staples Becomes First National Retailer to Offer Everyday In-Store
Recycling For Computers & Other Office TechnologyFRAMINGHAM, Mass.--(BUSINESS
WIRE)--May 21, 2007--Staples, Inc. (Nasdaq: SPLS), the world's largest office products
company, today announced that it now makes it easy to recycle used computers and other
office technology at any Staples store nationwide, becoming the first national retailer
to offer computer recycling in stores every day.
Staples makes it easy for customers to recycle e-waste by simply bringing their
used computers, monitors, laptops, printers, faxes and all-in-ones to any U.S. Staples
store, where the equipment will be recycled in accordance with environmental laws.
All brands will be accepted, regardless of whether or not the equipment was purchased
at Staples, for a fee of $10 per large item. Staples is working with Amandi Services,
one of the country's most experienced and innovative electronics recyclers, to handle
recycling of the equipment, following standards set by the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA).
"It's not always easy being green. However, through the leadership of Staples,
Americans will see that preventing pollution by recycling unwanted electronics is
as easy as it gets," said Stephen L. Johnson, Administrator of the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency. "EPA and our Plug-In To eCycling partners are helping make sure
yesterday's high-tech gadgets do not go to waste."
"An estimated 133,000 computers are discarded every day in the U.S.," said Mark
Buckley, vice president of environmental affairs at Staples, Inc. "We know that small
businesses and consumers want to recycle their used office technology but are often
frustrated by the lack of convenient options available. By making it easy to recycle,
Staples helps customers take action in handling e-waste in an environmentally responsible
way."
How the Recycling Program Works
-- Customers drop off their old equipment at the customer
service
desk at any Staples store, 7 days a week
during regular store
hours; (TV's and large, floor-model copiers
are not accepted).
-- Staples will recycle any manufacturers' products,
regardless
of whether or not it was purchased from
Staples, and there's
no limit on the quantity of equipment that
can be recycled.
-- A recycling fee of $10 per piece of large equipment
is charged
to cover handling, transport, product disassembly
and
recycling. Smaller computer peripherals,
such as keyboards and
mice, will be recycled for free.
-- Staples Easy Tech(sm) service is on site in all stores
to
transfer data from an old computer to a
new one for a fee.
Equipment is bagged and sealed when customers drop them off at the Staples customer
service desk. The equipment is then picked up and delivered to Amandi Services, who
disassembles the equipment into its component parts and uses industry-leading standards
for data destruction. Amandi then recycles the raw materials, such as the plastics,
metals, printed circuit boards and Cathode Ray Tubes (CRT). The CRTs, which are the
most hazardous part of electronics waste, are recycled utilizing Amandi's proprietary
technology into a raw material that is used to manufacture new televisions.
Staples is a U.S. EPA Plug-In to eCycling partner and has offered computer recycling
in its Seattle area stores for the past two years. In addition to computer and office
technology recycling, Staples provides customers with easy, everyday, in-store recycling
for ink and toner cartridges, cell phones, PDAs and rechargeable batteries. In 2006,
the company recycled more than 17 million ink and toner cartridges and 3,500 tons
of electronic waste.