NY/NJ Super Bowl Host Committee, NFL, Verizon and Broadway Green Alliance Partner to Recycle Electronic Waste

NEW YORK, Dec. 26, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The NY/NJ Super Bowl Host Committee and the NFL are partnering with Verizon and the Broadway Green Alliance to collect and safely recycle electronic waste in New York and New Jersey.  The recycling events are open to the public, and are a part of the group's commitment to a cleaner environment.

The first of two collections will take place in New Jersey on January 7 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the AnythingIT Fair Lawn Headquarters located at 17-09 Zink Place in Fair Lawn.  AnythingIT, which is E-Stewards certified, is the electronics recycler for both events.

The following day, on January 8, a collection will take place in New York City at Duffy Square in Times Square, off of 7^th Avenue between 46^th and 47^th Streets.  The public will be encouraged to drop off their electronic waste between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.

"The Host Committee  is committed to making a positive environmental impact in New York and New Jersey through a series of initiatives, such as our tree planting efforts and now the e-waste collection," said Alfred F. Kelly, Jr. President and CEO, NY/NJ Super Bowl Host Committee. "We are proud to join the NFL, Verizon and the Broadway Green Alliance to help collect and recycle e-waste and to create a cleaner, safer environment while educating the public."

"Collecting e-waste is a new project for the NFL," according to NFL Environmental Program Director Jack Groh. "Working with Verizon and with the Broadway Green Alliance made it possible to add this event to the many community projects surrounding Super Bowl XLVIII and to adding one more element to the overall 'greening' of the Super Bowl."

"New electronics are very popular gifts each holiday season, but we all need to know where and how we are discarding our old devices," said James Gowen, Chief Sustainability Officer at Verizon. "As more phones and tablets enter the marketplace, Verizon remains committed to collecting used models, helping to curb the rise in electronic waste."

Verizon has collected 1.5 million pounds of e-waste at similar events since the launch of its recycling rally program in 2009.  Creating an ecosystem of sustainability, Verizon partners with SHI on e-waste events, and Guardian handles the logistics/transportation.

In addition to recycling e-waste, Verizon will be restoring used cell phones and donating them to shelters in New York and New Jersey as part of its HopeLine program, which provides support for domestic violence prevention organizations nationwide.  Since HopeLine started in 2001, Verizon has donated more than 150,000 phones to domestic violence and survivors and awarded millions of dollars in cash grants to its related partner agencies.

"The Broadway Green Alliance is pleased to join with the NFL and Verizon to make this e-waste drive special. NFL fans will join Broadway shows and theatres in responsibly recycling their old electronics in Times Square.  And, iPods collected will go to the Broadway Alzheimer's iPod Drive to give the gift of music to area nursing home residents." said Rebekah Sale, Broadway Green Alliance's Coordinator.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the United States generated more than 2.44 million tons and 3.4 million tons of e-waste in 2010 and 2011, respectively.  In 2010, 19.6 percent of that year's total e-waste was recycled, and in 2011, 24.6 percent of that year's total e-waste was recycled.

In 2010, 152 million mobile devices were disposed of in the United States. The EPA has indicated that recycling as few as 1 million cellphones can recover 50 lbs of gold, 550 lbs of silver, 20 lbs of palladium, and 20,000 lbs of copper. Recycling e-waste uses a fraction of the energy needed to mine new metals and reduces the production of harmful emissions of CO2 and sulfur dioxide into the environment. E-waste also creates jobs – compared to disposal; computer reuse creates 296 more jobs per for every 10,000 tons of material disposed each year.

About the NY/NJ Super Bowl Host Committee

The NY/NJ Super Bowl Host Committee is the entity created by the owners of the New York Football Giants and the New York Jets to raise the necessary funds and partner with the NFL to plan and stage Super Bowl XLVIII and all of its associated events. The Host Committee also works closely with area business leaders and public officials to coordinate key logistics and to maximize the game's positive economic impact for the region. Additionally, in an effort to give back to the surrounding region, the Host Committee supports an active roster of charitable initiatives, largely conducted through the work of the Snowflake Youth Foundation, including the rehabilitation of after-school centers, support for the Super Community Blood Drives, and various environmental works.

As President and Chief Executive Officer, Alfred F. Kelly, Jr. oversees all host activities leading up to Super Bowl XLVIII, which will be history's first outdoor, cold-weather Super Bowl. Super Bowl XLVIII will be held on February 2, 2014, at MetLife Stadium, the home of both the Giants and Jets. 

About the NFL Environmental Program
The NFL Environmental Program plays an active role behind the scenes at each Super Bowl. In addition to recycling of solid waste and e-waste, the NFL donates everything from decorative banners to building materials to local non-profit agencies. A number of urban forestry projects have already been implemented in New York and New Jersey as part of Super Bowl XLVIII with more than 27,000 trees planted to date. Renewable energy certificates and biodiesel fuel will be used to green the power usage at MetLife Stadium and other major Super Bowl event facilities. The Super Kids-Super Sharing Program works with local schools to collect thousands of books and pieces of sports equipment for donation to schools and youth programs. The NFL Environmental Program is one of a large number of community events and initiatives implemented each year by the NFL and the Super Bowl Host Committee to leave a positive legacy in each Super Bowl host community.

About Verizon
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 101 million retail connections 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. A Dow 30 company with nearly $116 billion in 2012 revenues, Verizon employs a diverse workforce of 178,300. For more information, visit www.verizon.com.

About the Broadway Green Alliance
THE BROADWAY GREEN ALLIANCE (BGA) educates, motivates and inspires the entire theatre community and its patrons to adopt environmentally friendlier practices.  The BGA, now celebrating its fifth anniversary, is an ad hoc committee of The Broadway League and an affiliate program of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids. The BGA brings together all segments of the theatre community, including producers, theaters in New York and around the country, theatrical unions and their members, and related businesses. The BGA identifies and disseminates better practices for theaters and theatre professionals and reaches out to theater fans throughout the country.    For more information, visit www.broadwaygreen.com.

SOURCE NFL