Give E-Cycle Washington a Holiday Gift: Your Old TV

SEATTLE, Dec. 2, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- As people receive the latest HDTV or iPad this holiday season, it's not just the wrapping paper and ribbon they'll be throwing out: their old, outdated TVs and desktop PCs could also be heading for the landfill, or even a developing nation...unless they've heard about E-Cycle Washington.

E-Cycle Washington is a collaborative effort supported by electronics manufacturers, collectors, recyclers, retailers, local and state governments and non-profit groups. E-Cycle has 330 collection centers throughout the state that, together, collect 3,000 devices per day. All costs to collect, transport and recycle the devices are paid for by manufacturers, who have provided more than $47 million for the program since 2008.

With the onset of holiday shopping, retailers are expecting sharp surges in electronics purchases; for example, Wal-Mart purportedly offered 65 percent more inventory on televisions and doubled the number of tablets in anticipation of Black Friday sales.

However, E-Cycle's affiliates, such as Total Reclaim and RE-PC, report that, despite the increase in electronics buying, they don't notice a corresponding spike in collections during the holidays. This is a disturbing fact; according to the EPA, e-waste is the fastest-growing category of municipal waste in the U.S., with more than 80 percent of that waste ending up in landfills.

With this in mind, this holiday season, E-Cycle Washington would like to encourage Washington residents to dispose of their unwanted electronics by taking them to a registered E-Cycle collector (a list of which can be found here). By doing so, they'll not only be reducing waste, but sourcing devices and material for refurbishment and reuse. For example, around 29 percent of computers collected by E-Cycle are repaired and resold. Through this process, E-Cycle has created more than 125 local jobs; yet another reason to support and utilize it.

This landmark program celebrated its fifth anniversary on October 23 of this year, announcing that since its launch in January 2009, it has kept more than 200 million pounds of electronics out of landfills.

"Along with providing a means to recycle the glass, plastic and other materials that electronic devices contain, E-Cycle keeps a huge amount of toxic materials out of the environment," said Miles Kuntz, E-Cycle Washington program manager. "For example, it is estimated that E-Cycle has recycled more than 13 million pounds of lead over the past five years. That's a huge win for Washington residents and the environment."

E-Cycle has had amazing success so far, but its future depends on the residents it serves. So give your old electronics a proper sendoff, and help support this important program by turning e-waste into E-Cycle.

For more information about E-Cycle Washington, or to find a collection site, go to www.ecyclewashington.org

SOURCE E-Cycle Washington