As 2012 NCAA® Men's Final Four® Approaches in New Orleans, Local Residents Encouraged to Recycle Used Electronics at Free March 25 'Do March Right' Recycling Event

NEW ORLEANS, March 19, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Local residents will soon have an opportunity to get rid of old TVs, computers and other electronic equipment in an environmentally sound manner – free of charge. 

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NCAA Official Corporate Partner, LG Electronics USA has joined forces with Waste Management, and the New Orleans Local Organizing Committee for the 2012 NCAA Men's Final Four to offer a special eCycling drop-off event in an exciting pre-game warm-up to Final Four week in New Orleans.

New Orleans area residents are encouraged to drop off and recycle any brand of electronics products or computers between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Sunday, March 25, in Parking Lot 4 at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, where the 2012 NCAA Men's Final Four semifinal and national championship men's basketball games will be played March 31 and April 2. 

The event, a key sustainability project during NCAA Final Four week, is part of the LG Electronics Recycling Program, which is designed to provide consumers with a convenient way to dispose of their used, unwanted, obsolete or damaged consumer electronics products, consistent with LG's 2012 NCAA theme "Do March Right."

The eCycling drop-off location will help make recycling of electronic products easy and convenient.  Residents don't even need to get out of their vehicles. The eCycling crew members will collect all acceptable electronic products from trunks or pickup beds.  (Products not acceptable for eCycling will be left in the vehicles.)

By recycling old electronic products, useful materials such as glass, plastic and metal can be re-used in the manufacture of other products.  Recycling electronics minimizes the amount of potentially hazardous waste in the landfills.  Equally significant, replacing older TVs and computer monitors with new ENERGY STAR® qualified models helps consumers save energy and money while saving the planet. 

Liz Davey, director of environmental affairs at Tulane University and chair of the Sustainability Committee of the New Orleans Local Organizing Committee, said, "The 'Do March Right' project is a great opportunity for local residents to recycle old electronic products, including televisions, that they no longer use, which helps the environment and ultimately saves energy. It's a community event that will have a lasting impact.   We're glad that LG is spearheading this, with assistance from Waste Management, Keep New Orleans Beautiful and the New Orleans Local Organizing Committee, right before we get ready to celebrate the NCAA Men's Final Four and all of the activities that will take place in our city."

"New Orleanians are keen to recycle their electronic waste in a responsible manner," said Bill Caesar, president of WM Recycle Services. "This special collection event provides a convenient solution, while demonstrating LG Electronics' and the NCAA's shared commitment to providing leadership in environmental stewardship."

"LG is taking a proactive approach to helping consumers responsibly dispose of end-of-life electronics by joining forces with the NCAA and Waste Management to offer this free collection and recycling program to New Orleans residents," said Wayne Park, president and CEO, LG Electronics USA, which collected more than 10 million pounds of unused electronics for recycling in 2011. "We encourage consumers to take advantage of this opportunity to dispose of unwanted electronics in an environmentally responsible manner. Life's good when you live green," he said.

Park thanked the Sustainability Committee of the New Orleans Local Organizing Committee, Keep New Orleans Beautiful, Tulane University, Serve NOLA and the Mayor's Office, and the Mercedes-Benz Superdome for their support on this major community eCycling event during Final Four week. He also singled out national LG sustainability partners, the National Collegiate Athletic Association, Waste Management and Keep America Beautiful.

The New Orleans recycling event coincides with the "Great American Cleanup," organized by Keep America Beautiful.  The 2012 theme – #GreenStartsHere – is a call to action that civic leaders and volunteer groups, like the New Orleans Local Organizing Committee and Keep New Orleans Beautiful, are using to create more sustainable communities. The LG NCAA event also reflects Keep America Beautiful's legacy of waste reduction, recycling, beautification and community greening activities.

LG Electronics USA and Waste Management are National Sponsors of The Great American Cleanup and proud supporters of Keep America Beautiful, Inc., the nation's largest volunteer-based community action and education organization. To join the Great American Cleanup and let green start with you, visit www.kab.org.

"Service to the community is the ultimate demonstration that you love where you live," said Matthew McKenna, president and CEO of Keep America Beautiful. "Participating in events like the LG NCAA recycling day during the Great American Cleanup can become a foundation for uniting friends, family, neighbors and communities in activities that both serve the community and make it more effective at overcoming challenges."

Acceptable items for eCycling are:
Computers – CPUs
Computer monitors
Computer peripherals
Printers
Fax machines
Keyboards
Photocopiers
Televisions
VCRs
Stereos
Home and office phones
Cell phones
Consumer electronics
GPS devices
Digital cameras
Telephones and telephone systems
Beepers and pagers

Unacceptable items for eCycling are:
Microwave ovens
Smoke alarms and detectors
Fire alarms and detectors
Thermometers
Dehumidifiers
Large appliances (refrigerators, clothes washers, etc.)
Non-decontaminated medical equipment
Any unit with sludge or liquids

About LG Electronics USA

LG Electronics USA, Inc., based in Englewood Cliffs, N.J., is the North American subsidiary of LG Electronics, Inc., a $49 billion global force and technology leader in consumer electronics, home appliances and mobile communications. In the United States, LG Electronics sells stylish, innovative home entertainment (consumer electronics) products, home appliances, mobile phones and air conditioning and energy solutions under LG's "Life's Good" marketing theme. LG is a proud partner of the NCAA® and 2012 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year.  For more information, please visit www.lg.com.

About Waste Management

Waste Management, based in Houston, Texas, is the leading provider of comprehensive waste management services in North America. Our subsidiaries provide collection, transfer, recycling and resource recovery, and disposal services. We are also a leading developer, operator and owner of waste-to-energy and landfill gas-to-energy facilities in the United States. Our customers include residential, commercial, industrial, and municipal customers throughout North America. To learn more visit www.wm.com or www.thinkgreen.com.

WM Recycle America is a subsidiary of Waste Management and is the largest residential recycler in North America. WM Recycle America's business lines include processing many types of consumer-generated recyclables and finding the best markets for the recyclable commodities produced. In its capacity of providing processing and marketing services, WM Recycle America offers a wide variety of recycling options for municipal, manufacturing, commercial and residential customers.

About the NCAA

The NCAA is a membership-led nonprofit association of colleges and universities committed to supporting academic and athletic opportunities for more than 400,000 student-athletes at more than 1,000 member colleges and universities. Each year, more than 54,000 student-athletes compete in NCAA championships in Divisions I, II and III sports. Visit www.NCAA.org and www.NCAA.com for more details about the Association, its goals and members and corporate partnerships that help support programs for student-athletes.  The NCAA is proud to have the following elite companies as official Corporate Champions — AT&T, Capital One and Coca-Cola —and the following elite companies as official Corporate Partners—Allstate, Enterprise, The Hartford, Infiniti, LG Electronics USA, Lowe's, Planters, Reese's, Unilever and UPS.

NCAA, Final Four, and March Madness are licensed by or trademarks of the National Collegiate Athletic Association.

SOURCE LG Electronics USA