Awareness of electronics recycling and locations is on the rise, according to a study released from the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA).
The CE Recycling and Reuse 2012 Edition study found that nine in 10 consumers believe it’s important to recycle their consumer electronics (CE) devices and 63 percent of consumers know where to recycle them.
“The CE industry aims to make recycling consumer electronics as easy as purchasing them. The marked increase in consumer awareness of how and where to recycle their electronics illustrates the progress our industry has made on this issue,” said Walter Alcorn, CEA’s vice president of environmental affairs and industry sustainability.
CEA has been working in partnership with local, state and federal governments, as well as interested non-governmental organizations and other industry advocates to continue to educate consumers on the availability and accessibility of electronics recycling locations. The industry’s eCycling Leadership Initiative has issued a Billion Pound Challenge to recycle responsibly one billion pounds of electronics annually by 2016.
Overall sales of CE products are expected to reach a record high in 2012. As consumers purchase new electronics, they are removing more used CE products from their homes. Six in ten CE owners removed at least one device from their homes in the last year. Nearly half (48 percent) of those CE owners donated the device for reuse, and 26 percent recycled the device. Of those who donated a device, the majority (63 percent) gave it to friends and family. Of the 12 percent of CE owners who reported putting a used CE device in the trash during the last 12 months, most cited convenience as the driving factor for their choice of removal.
Recognizing that electronics recycling needs to be convenient for consumers, CEA has created an eCycling zip code locator on GreenerGadgets.org where consumers can easily find the closest responsible recycling opportunity sponsored by the CE industry and/or third-party certified recyclers.
The CE Recycling and Reuse2012 Edition study was conducted in August 2012. It was designed and formulated by CEA Market Research, the most comprehensive source of sales data, forecasts, consumer research and historical trends for the consumer electronics industry. The complete study is available free to CEA member companies at members.CE.org. Non-members may purchase the study at the CEA Store.
For more information, on the industry’s eCycling efforts, please visit CE.org/ecycle. To find a location near you to recycle your old electronics, please visit GreenerGadggets.org.
