Verizon's Nationwide Recycling Rallies Reach Goal of Keeping 1 Million Pounds of Electronic Waste Out of Landfills

NEW YORK, Oct. 11, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Through a series of 35 Recycling Rallies across the U.S. since 2009, Verizon has reached its 2012 goal of collecting more than 1 million pounds of electronic waste to keep out of landfills.  To keep the momentum going, Verizon has committed to collecting another 1 million pounds of e-waste by 2015.

With the fast rate of technological innovations, new devices quickly become dated and are discarded. Improperly discarded electronic devices -- such as TVs, computers and mobile devices -- contribute to America's growing e-waste problem.

According to the EPA's 2011 report, the U.S. disposed of 2,440,000 tons of e-waste in 2009, but only 27 percent of it was recycled.  Verizon's Recycling Rallies welcome local communities to bring in their unwanted electronic devices, which are then reused or recycled so that they do not end up in a landfill.  

"In line with our broad sustainability goals, our Recycling Rallies aim to help curb the amount of e-waste entering landfills each year," said James Gowen, Verizon's chief sustainability officer and vice president of supply chain operations.  "These events engage our employees and local communities, and provide free and convenient locations to ensure that e-waste is properly disposed of."

(Note: To view a video of a Recycling Rally, visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5EZG_1WPVo)

The Recycling Rallies began in 2009 and are staffed by Verizon's Green Team – a nearly 10,000-employee volunteer network focused on helping the company and its local communities become greener citizens.   

The rallies are just one of the many green initiatives at Verizon. From the mobile phone trade-in program to the company's energy-management projects, Verizon is committed to its sustainability goal: cutting its carbon intensity -- the amount of energy needed to move data across Verizon's network -- in half by 2020.

For additional information on future Recycling Rallies and Verizon's sustainability initiatives, visit the Verizon Responsibility blog.

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE, Nasdaq: VZ), headquartered in New York, is a global leader in delivering broadband and other wireless and wireline communications services to consumer, business, government and wholesale customers.  Verizon Wireless operates America's most reliable wireless network, with more than 94 million retail customers nationwide.  Verizon also provides converged communications, information and entertainment services over America's most advanced fiber-optic network, and delivers integrated business solutions to customers in more than 150 countries, including all of the Fortune 500.  A Dow 30 company with $111 billion in 2011 revenues, Verizon employs a diverse workforce of more than 188,000.  For more information, visit www.verizon.com.

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SOURCE Verizon