Consumer Technology Association launches pilot e-recycling program in Nebraska

By Paul Ploumis

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): The Consumer Technology Association (CTA) in partnership with member companies Best Buy, Dell, HP, LG, Samsung and VIZIO has announced launch of a year-long pilot program to raise awareness and boost recycling in the state. The program is expected to offer wide range of recycling opportunities in state’s larger urban areas as well as smaller communities.

According to Walter Alcorn, vice president, environmental affairs and industry sustainability, CTA, Nebraska has continued to lag behind national averages in reducing electronic waste and producing lighter and more efficient products. The pilot program would help create awareness among Nebraskans with regards to the importance of recycling. The consumer electronics industry nationwide is making significant progress in reducing electronic waste, but still a lot of work has to be done in Nebraska, Alcorn added.

The program is also aimed at providing necessary understanding to consumers about the recycling opportunities available for consumer electronics such as computers and televisions. Incidentally, the program is funded by consumer electronics manufacturers, thereby creating no additional burden on the state and its taxpayers. After the year-long program, CTA will summarize the results of the pilot program in end-2017 and provide recommendations for future course of action.

Caitlin Sanchez, VIZIO stated that the company is pleased to partner with CTA in its efforts to provide better recycling access to Nebraskans. The company is determined to extend all support to reuse, repurposing and responsible recycling of its electronics products to all customers at the end of their useful product life.

The relatively low rate among Nebraskans with respect to awareness about recycling options has prompted the CTA to launch the pilot program. As per CTA’s latest CE Recycling and Reuse Study, although 87% of Nebraskans consider that recycling is important, only 49% of adults in the state know where they can recycle electronics. This is significantly lower when compared with the national awareness level of 59%.

The study had shown that more than 82% of the US adults believe that recycling their old electronics is important or very important to them. The percentage has dropped by 4 points when compared with 86% in 2012. Also, the proportion of adults who possess clear idea of places where electronics can be recycled has reduced from 63% in 2012 to 59%.

Meantime, studies forecast that global electronic scrap recycling market is expected to reach $34.32 billion by 2022, with the US being projected as one of the primary contributors to the worldwide e-waste stream. The UPS EPA data suggests that the consumer electronics have the fastest growing recycling rate among various product categories. The tremendous growth in electronic scrap recycling market will be mainly on account of proliferation of computing and electronic devices, shorter product lifecycles and government legislations governing electronic waste.

Consumer Technology Association (CTA), formerly Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), is the trade association representing the $287 billion U.S. consumer technology industry. More than 2,200 companies enjoy the benefits of CTA membership including policy advocacy, market research, technical education, industry promotion, standards development and the fostering of business and strategic relationships.