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Best Buy testing free e-waste recycling program at 117 stores

June 6th, 2008 by Rick · No Comments · Info

Best Buy Co. Inc., Richfield, Minn., is testing a free program that will offer consumers a convenient way to ensure millions of obsolescent TVs, old computers, and other unwanted electronic gadgets don’t poison the nation’s dumps, reports The Associated Press. The trial covers 117 Best Buy stores scattered across eight states and will collect a variety of electronics at no charge, even if the retailer didn’t originally sell the merchandise.

  The pilot stores are in Best Buy’s Northern California, Minneapolis, and Baltimore markets, as well as parts of North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. Depending on how the test goes, the nation’s largest electronics retailer may expand the recycling program to all of its 922 stores in the United States, says the AP.

  Consumers will be able to bring in up to two gadgets per day at the participating Best Buy stores. The list of acceptable items includes phones, cameras, and other select devices and peripherals, along with computer processors, computer monitors, and televisions with screens up to 32 inches. Console televisions, air conditioners, microwave ovens, and other large appliances won’t be accepted.

  All Best Buy stores already have been accepting some electronics waste — such as cell phones, empty inkjet cartridges, and worn-out batteries — for several years. The retailer also will haul away old appliances and television sets when customers pay to have a replacement delivered to their homes.

  Best Buy agreed to set up the recycling trial after a social responsibility group, As You Sow, submitted a proposal that would have asked the company’s shareholders to endorse an electronics recycling program, says the AP. As You Sow withdrew the proposal after Best Buy indicated it was already exploring ways to expand its existing recycling programs.

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