Global office supply retailer, Office Depot, reports that the company successfully recycled 562 tonnes of e-waste through its Tech Trade-In promotion during Earth Day. The office supply firm, in recognition of Earth Day’s 40th anniversary, launched the initiative with an aim to collect at least 400 tonnes of electronic rubbish to recycle. Office Depot was able to surpass its goal, collecting over 560 tonnes from customers.
Included in the recycled waste collected by Office Depot were shredders, laptops, ink cartridges, printers, and digital cameras. The majority of recycled e-waste was received by Office Depot’s California-based retailers, with Florida retailers not far behind.
The Environmental Protection Agency reports that more than three million tonnes in e-waste were tossed by Americans in 2007. However, of this amount, only 13.6 per cent was recycled. The remainder was sent to landfills where it will emit dangerous greenhouse gases. According to the UN, this phenomenon is becoming the norm across the globe.
Yalmaz Siddiqui, the director of Environmental Strategy for Office Depot, said that the recycling rates for e-waste is much lower than traditionally recycled plastic and paper products. He added that the 400-tonne challenge was designed to encourage electronic recycling across the US.
Although Earth Day has come to a close, Office Depot has continued to run the Electronics Trade-In and Recycling programs. More information can be found on the retailer’s website. Customers can trade in all forms of electronics to receive an Office Depot gift card.
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