Staples Advantage, the business to business division of Staples, has partnered with Electronic Recyclers International (ERI) to launch a technology recycling service that makes it easier for for businesses to recycle old electronics.
The new program allows businesses to recycle equipment –– from cell phones and keyboards to telecom equipment and multi-function devices. After ordering recycling boxes online, businesses fill the boxes with electronics and ship back to Staples. The companies receive a Certificate of Recycling from Staples that their electronics have been properly recycled and data safely removed. The certificate is accredited by the e-Stewards Initiative, a project of the Basel Action Network, a non-profit organization dedicated to the responsible recycling of e-waste.
ERI guarantees data destruction, assuaging fears of privacy leaks. The program also ensures that all the electronics are responsibly recycled, with full certification of environmental and e-waste compliance.
The cost for this service will range from $15 - $500 depending on the size of the box ordered, with options ranging from a 9” x 5” x 3” box to full pallets. Customized solutions also are available, Staples says.
In 2012, Staples and HP partnered to offer free electronics recycling for all brands of office electronics at Staples stores nationwide, regardless of where the devices were purchased. Since then, customers have been able to drop off computers, cell phones, printers, monitors and most other electronic devices at the service desk. Staples consolidates the items at its distribution centers and hand them off to a certified e-Stewards and R2 recycler for transportation to a processing center.
Many electronic devices become unwanted, non-working or obsolete within a few years of use, compounding the global volume of e-waste, which is expected to more than double by 2016, reaching 93.5 million tons compared to 41.5 million tons in 2011, according to the EPA. Due to increased e-waste recycling initiatives and a growing awareness of the problem, the consumer electronics (CE) industry recycled a record 620 million pounds of electronics in the United States in 2013, according to the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA).
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Founder, Hower Impact
Mike Hower is the founder of Hower Impact — a boutique consultancy delivering strategic communication advisory and support for corporate sustainability, ESG and climate tech.
Published Aug 22, 2014 1pm EDT / 10am PDT / 6pm BST / 7pm CEST