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| Recycling Activities in North America |
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Sony Electronics Inc. (SEL) in the United States and Sony of Canada Ltd. contribute to a growing recycling infrastructure in North America by promoting a variety of recycling and support activities.
SEL has voluntarily established a nationwide recycling program for consumer electronics in the U.S. with Waste Management (WM) Recycle America. Beginning September 15, 2007, the Sony Take Back Recycling Program allows consumers to recycle all Sony-branded products free-of-charge at 75 WM Recycle America eCycling drop-off centers throughout the U.S. The program also allows consumers to recycle other manufacturers' consumer electronics products at market prices. This is the first national recycling initiative in the U.S. to involve both a major electronics manufacturer and a national waste management company. Sony's goal is to recycle one pound of old consumer electronics equipment for every pound of new products sold. |
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| The Sony Take Back Recycling Program website |
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As the program expands, the number of eCycling drop-off centers will increase to at least 150 sites within a year, with at least one location in every U.S. state through a combination of WM Recycle America locales and WM external service partners. SEL and WM Recycle America are also working towards the goal of having enough drop-off locations in all 50 states so that there is a drop off locations for recycling within 20 miles of 95 percent of the U.S. population. Consumers may also ship their used Sony electronics products to select WM Recycle America locations for proper recycling.
By offering this national recycling program, SEL is taking responsibility for providing its customers with an environmentally responsible solution for disposing of their end-of-life Sony products. At the same time, it encourages consumers to recycle all other brands of consumer electronics.With initiating the Sony Take Back Recycling Program, SEL concluded its membership with Electronics Manufacturer Coalition for Responsible Recycling (EMCRR).
The national recycling program to begin in September 2007 is an outgrowth of a Sony Electronics initiative that began in the state of Minnesota. SEL, in partnership with WM Recycle America, has voluntarily collected and recycled end-of-life Sony products in Minnesota, free-of-charge to consumers, on a continuous basis for the past seven years. The 17 Minnesota collection points are now part of Sony's nationwide recycling program.
In the United States, 27 states have passed or are currently considering the introduction of legislation pertaining to the disposal of waste consumer electronic products, with California the first of eight states to have already passed such legislation. The California legislation requires retailers, including Sony, to recover recycling payments for submission to the state's recycling fund. Additionally, SEL reports annually to the state on efforts to incorporate environmental considerations into product design. In California, the total amount of waste consumer electronic products collected in the two years since the state enacted its electronic waste recycling law totaled nearly 62,000 tons, of which approximately 3,100 tons were estimated to be Sony products.
In Maine, which implemented its own electronic waste recycling law in February 2006, SEL paid state-appointed recyclers for recycling approximately 111 tons of Sony televisions and monitors in fiscal 2006. SEL is also bearing a portion of the cost of establishing a recycling infrastructure in the state of Maryland.
Many provinces in Canada are also introducing regulations requiring the development of stewardship programs for end-of-life televisions, computers and printers. Sony of Canada was involved in developing the blueprints of the current recycling programs in Alberta and Saskatchewan, including the comprehensive standards used in those programs. Sony of Canada continues to play a leading role in the development of the stewardship programs harmonized to the social needs and environment of the provinces introducing the regulations. |
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| For notebook PC owners looking to upgrade, SEL and Sony of Canada offer the Notebook Trade-in Program, which allows owners to bring their old machines to a Sony Style or Sony Store outlet and receive a credit toward their next purchase based on the machine's value. End-of-life PCs collected through this program are reused in a variety of effective ways. |
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| Notebook Trade-in Program website |
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