Despite public proclamations of support for recycling of electronic appliances and gadgets by consumers in the United States, the rate of recycling is still low.
Stephen Baker of NPD Group Consumer Research Company attributes the poor rate of recycling in electronics to lack of incentives.
Information from the Consumer Electronics Association reveals that United States consumers will use one hundred and seventy one billion dollars to purchase approximately half a billion electronic gadgets in 2008. This will add to the 2.9 billion electronic gadgets that are already in their possession.
The report from the Consumer Electronics Association however says that the number of electronic gadgets that were dumped in the rubbish bins went down to nineteen per cent in 2007 up from twenty one per cent in 2005.
iSuppli, a research company, has also reported that fewer than ten percent of consumers recycle their mobile phones, in spite of efforts made by the main mobile phone service providers such as Verizon Wireless, Sprint Nextel and AT&T who take old mobile phones at their retail stores for recycling.
Computer firms such Staples and Dell have also initiated their own recycling schemes. For instance Dell collects its products such as printers and computers from the premises of the consumer at no cost. It can also pick up computers that it has not manufactured as long as the individual or organisation is replacing it with a Dell computer. Staples on the other hand accepts small computer accessories such as the mouse, keyboards etc at no cost in its retail outlets. A charge is levied however on bigger appliances.
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