This Holiday Season, “In With The New, Out With The Old” is Free, Easy and Safe, With Ecollective E-Waste Recycling
With consumer confidence picking up, consumer electronics will be top gifts this holiday season. Myecollective. com, powered by the state’s largest e-waste recycler, offers free and convenient recycling of unwanted and obsolete electronics.
Santa Clara, CA (PRWEB) December 14, 2010
Media coverage of the shopping bonanza that started shortly before Thanksgiving has been unrelenting, and while the uptick in consumer spending may signal cheerier economic times ahead, the news is not good for landfills around the country. Some of the more alarming headlines include:
“Sharp Holiday Price-Drops Seen for Flat-Panel TVs: If you’re in the market for a new flat-panel TV, it’s a good time to buy. TV prices usually drop from year to year, and the decline will be sharp this 2010 holiday season thanks to a supply glut. Consumers have been holding out all year for better deals, leaving lots of unsold televisions on the shelves. New sets will also be cheaper because TV makers have been getting great deals on the most expensive parts, the glass LCD panels.”
“Most Black Friday Weekend Sales Were Of Consumer Electronics: In a study released late on Saturday, consumer electronics was found to be the most-purchased category this Black Friday weekend, increasing in popularity over last year. Among those who went shopping on Friday, 58 percent bought some type of consumer electronic product, second only to clothing.”
“Holidays Huge for Consumer Electronics: The last three holiday seasons have been especially sweet for consumer electronics and technology companies — averaging $48 billion in fourth-quarter sales, they’re making 33 percent of their annual revenue during the holidays, according to data from The NPD Group.”
As countless shiny devices are unwrapped in millions of home in the coming weeks, it is especially critical that consumers carefully consider their options for disposal of their old consumer electronics items. Consumer electronics are a hazardous waste that must be recycled properly by experts, and not exported overseas intact. Here in California, consumers can turn to the ecollective network of 219 e-waste drop-off locations for no-charge recycling of obsolete and unwanted TVs, monitors, computer equipment, office equipment, cell phones, or other electronics. Most households are within 10 miles of an ecollective location, of which there are now more than 200 in California.
“This is the time of year when people are busier than ever, which means it’s even more important for e-waste recycling locations to be nearby and free. That’s why we created the ecollective network — to make it really easy to do the right thing with that old gadget,” said Jim Taggart, president of ECS Refining, the company that designed and powers the ecollective initiative. “By choosing to recycle your e-waste at any of our 219 ecollective locations you can be sure that any personal data on your computer or cell phone will be destroyed, and that all of your e-waste will be recycled properly, here in the United States.”
How to find an ecollective drop-off location, and what to expect when you get there
It’s easy: visit myecollective. com, enter your zip code, find your closest ecollective location, and then take it back for good. Once you get to your local ecollective, someone will help you get the e-waste out of your car if you need assistance. You may be asked to give some of your identification information (like your name, address and phone number), for state reporting and regulatory purposes.
What to recycle, and why ecollective is good for the environment
The ecollective program is designed to take back most kinds of unwanted and obsolete electronics. If it plugs into the wall and you use it to communicate, gather information, store data, or enjoy media and entertainment, it’s probably part of our program. TVs, monitors, computers, cell phones are the most common. For a complete list: see what we recycle. All ecollective drop-off locations send e-waste to state-approved e-waste recycling plants operated by ECS Refining, which uses advanced and environmentally friendly e-waste recycling procedures to recycle electronics here in the United States.
E-waste is a growing global problem that requires sustainable, local solutions
70 percent of e-waste gets stockpiled because it is not easy to safely dispose of it — and only 15 percent ever gets recycled. The Environmental Protection Agency has just added the disposal of e-waste to a list of the agency’s top four environmental priorities, alongside issues such as climate change, air quality and access to clean water. More and more states are passing legislation to support recycling e-waste. ECS Refining, the company behind ecollective, sees this growing awareness of the e-waste problem as an opportunity to tackle this international challenge, and is forging partnerships with industry players, fostering best practices among them, and driving public outreach and education.
How to connect with ecollective
Watch our helpful e-waste recycling YouTube video. For the nearest e-waste drop-off location, visit myecollective. com. Spread the word! Tell your family, neighbors, friends and workmates about ecollective with our Facebook and Twitter pages.
About ECS Refining
ECS Refining is a recycling and end-of-life services company specializing in electronics, industrial equipment and hazardous wastes. Utilizing a variety of approaches, including recovery and refining, asset management, and refurbishment and resale, we are dedicated to optimizing our services for a sustainable outcome. Because we work with such a wide variety of materials from hundreds of different sources, and have strong connections with partners both upstream and downstream, we’re adept at applying our skills and knowledge to formulate smart and planet-friendly solutions for our customers. Recycle responsibly. Recycle with ECS Refining. For more information about our operations and the latest news from ECS Refining, visit our ecsrefining. com or Twitter @ecsrefining.
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