US launches electronics recycling campaign

The Plug-In To Recycling Campaign, launched by the US Environmental Protection Agency, electronics and recycling firms, intends to raise householders’ awareness of the value of reusing and recycling electronics and make it easier for them to do so.

“Our growing reliance on electronics has given rise to a new environmental challenge: safe and thoughtful management of electronic waste,” said Marianne Lamont Horinko, EPA Assistant Administrator for Solid Waste and Emergency Response. The EPA will work with electronics manufacturers, retailers, recyclers, and government agencies to reduce the environmental impacts of electronic products during their production, use, and disposal. The Agency will also target the general public, particularly youth groups, to encourage better recycling practices.

This campaign is one of several EPA schemes under the Agency’s Resource Conservation Challenge (RCC), which aims to increase the national recycling rate to 35% and cut the generation of 30 harmful chemicals by 2005. RCC efforts also include the EPA’s Energy Star programme to encourage the manufacture and use of more energy efficient products, and the Federal Electronics Stewardship Challenge to encourage the federal government to buy environmentally friendly electronic products.