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E-waste Recycling September 13, 2017 04:00:09 PM

The US Recycled 630 Million Pounds of Used Electronics in 2016: CTA

Paul Ploumis
ScrapMonster Author
The recycling weight has more than doubled when compared with 2009.

The US Recycled 630 Million Pounds of Used Electronics in 2016: CTA

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): The eCycling Leadership Initiative (ELI) powered by Consumer Technology Association (CTA) has released a new report on electronics recycling in the US. The Sixth Annual Report states that manufacturers and retailers recycled nearly 630 million pounds of consumer electronics during 2016. Also, nearly 4 billion pounds of end-of-life electronics were recycled over the past eight years.

According to the report, more than 8,000 responsible recycling locations across the US contributed to recycling of more than 630 million pounds of consumer electronics. The recycling weight has more than doubled when compared with 2009. Since the launch of the initiative in 2011, the recycling weight has registered steady progress until 2015.

The recycling weight registered decline for the first time in 2016, when matched with 700 million pounds in 2015. However, the slight decrease in weight was mainly because of the transition in design from heavier to smaller, lighter and thinner electronic devices. For instance, the heavy CRT displays have already given way to lighter flat-panel displays. The revolution in mobile devices has reduced the demand for heavier products.

CTA noted that recycling failed to achieve the ambitious goal set during the launch of the ELI. It must be noted that CTA had set a goal to recycle one billion pounds of consumer electronics per year by 2016. Meantime, the initiative has been successful in achieving its key goals by improving consumer awareness about available collection sites, increasing the collection opportunities to customers and providing transparent metrics on recycling quantities. A sum of nearly $1 billion has been spent on consumer recycling in the US, CTA added.

The CTA report applauded Apple, Dell, Best Buy and DirecTV for recycling more than 125% of consumer electronics recycling goals set for 2016. Also, Samsung, HP, Acer, Sony and LG recycled between 100% and 125% of recycling goals. In addition, many companies including Panasonic and Funai met base level recycling requirements set for the year.

CTA urged consumer technology companies to extend continued support to recycling related activities in the coming years. Meantime, it assured that it will continue its outreach efforts to help consumers recycle their old electronics. CTA called for a single national approach to e-waste recycling in order to make recycling as easy as purchasing new devices. Currently, different states have their own rules and regulations with respect to recycling of old electronics.

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