Electronics industry heralds recycling tipping point

Recycling rates for consumer electronic products in the US are increasing rapidly as consumers become aware of the environmental problems associated with sending electronic goods to landfill.

That is the finding of a major survey of 1,000 US households by the Consumer Electronics Association, which found that between 2005 and 2007, 27 per cent more consumer electronic products were recycled while the amount ending up in the trash fell seven per cent.

Speaking to BusinessGreen.com, CEA's senior director of market research Tim Herbert admitted that the recycling rates were starting from a " relatively low base", noting that in 2007 the same number of televisions were thrown into the trash as were properly recycled.

However, he insisted that the rapid improvement in recycling rates proved that the consumer electronics industry's attempts to promote recycling were working. "The biggest increase in recycling has been in the desktop PC and laptop area and that is because there have been a lot of initiatives in place from vendors such as Dell to make it easier for people to recycle," he said.

He added that almost nine out of 10 consumers surveyed now regard it as important to recycle their consumer electronic products, suggesting that as the industry expands its recycling services it will continue to enjoy support from customers. "We've only been at it for a few years, but we are now really starting to ramp up and we will begin to reach more people," he said.

The survey also contained encouraging news for environmentalists concerned that the digital switch over in the US could lead to a huge increase in eWaste as people upgrade their televisions. According to the poll, almost half of households affected by the switch over plan to buy a digital box rather than upgrade their TV, while 95 per cent of those planning to upgrade before 2010 claim they will donate, sell or recycle their old TV.

"Consumers are far more likely to recycle, reuse, give away or sell analog TVs than throw them away," says CEA's Senior Director of Market Research Tim Herbert. "While some have speculated that millions of TVs would enter the waste stream, this new study suggests that is not the case."