NEW YORK, April 14, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- LG Electronics USA is leveraging its leadership in electronics recycling during the Great American Cleanup, the nation's largest green volunteerism program, organized by Keep America Beautiful.  

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110203/CG42292LOGO-d)

"In 2010, volunteers across the country recycled 7.2 million pounds of consumer electronics during the Great American Cleanup, and we expect that figure to be topped in 2011," said Wayne Park, President and CEO of LG Electronics USA, the exclusive Consumer Electronics National Sponsor of the Great American Cleanup, which runs through May 31.

Speaking at a celebration today in Times Square honoring volunteers making New York City and the Nation more beautiful, Park explained LG's nationwide recycling program and emphasized the importance of replacing old electronics and appliances with ENERGY STAR qualified products.

The LG Electronics Recycling Program provides consumers with a convenient and responsible way to dispose of used, unwanted, obsolete or damaged consumer electronics products, he said. In 2010, separate from the Great American Cleanup, LG recycled more than 8 million pounds of home electronic products in the United States, free of charge to consumers.

"After recycling their old products, consumers can save energy by upgrading to ENERGY STAR qualified products," Park said, encouraging consumers to join LG in taking the "Change the World, Start with ENERGY STAR" pledge and save energy by recycling old products. U.S. consumers' purchases of LG ENERGY STAR qualified products in 2010 will save about $650 million in utility costs and will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by nearly 4 billion pounds over the lifetime of these products.

Green Starts Here

Through May, an anticipated 1,200 Keep America Beautiful affiliates and participating organizations nationwide will rally an estimated 3.5 million volunteers to beautify and green their neighborhoods. The 2011 theme, "Green Starts Here," is a rallying call that encourages civic leaders and volunteer groups to begin creating more sustainable communities through their efforts as volunteers, and through their daily choices and actions. It also reflects Keep America Beautiful's long legacy of waste reduction, recycling, beautification and community greening activities.

In 2010, nearly 4 million volunteers in 33,700 communities took part in the Great American Cleanup, collecting 76 million pounds of litter and debris. According to Keep America Beautiful, an emphasis on recycling resulted in the collection of:

• More than 266 million plastic bottles;
• 7.2 million pounds of electronics;
• 15.3 million pounds of aluminum and steel;
• 14.9 million pounds of glass;  and
• 1.1 million scrap tires.

LG's involvement in Keep America Beautiful's Great American Cleanup supports the company's sustainability initiatives that include recycling, energy conservation, responsible product designs, renewable energy and reducing hazardous substances and greenhouse gas emissions, the CEO said.

Park presented a donation to the "Keep New York City Beautiful Coalition," and saluted the thousands of New York volunteers supporting the Great American Cleanup. "Life's good when you live green!" he said.

About LG Electronics USA

A proud Corporate Sponsor of Keep America Beautiful's Great American Cleanup, LG Electronics USA, Inc., based in Englewood Cliffs, N.J., is the North American subsidiary of LG Electronics, Inc., a global force and technology leader in consumer electronics, home appliances and mobile communications. In the United States, LG Electronics sells a range of stylish and innovative home entertainment products, mobile phones, home appliances, commercial displays, air conditioning systems and solar energy solutions, all under LG's "Life's Good" marketing theme. For more information, please visit www.lg.com.

About Keep America Beautiful, Inc.

Keep America Beautiful, Inc., established in 1953, is the nation's largest volunteer-based community action and education organization. This national nonprofit forms public-private partnerships and programs that engage individuals to take greater responsibility for improving their community environments. Its signature program, the Great American Cleanup, is one of many initiatives that encourage people to care for communities through volunteer participation. To join the Great American Cleanup and let green start with you, visit www.kab.org.

About Keep New York City Beautiful Coalition

The goal of KNYCB, an affiliate of Keep America Beautiful, is to improve the cleanliness and beauty of our city  by encouraging volunteers to become involved in urban beautification efforts, such as community clean ups, street sweeping, parks beautification, graffiti removal, tree and flower plantings, street median cleaning, etc.

SOURCE LG Electronics USA