Staples joins King County to recycle computer equipment as E-waste ban takes effect October 1st

King County announced today that Staples will become the first major national retailer to join the Take It Back Network for recycling computers and related equipment.

Starting today, Staples makes it easy to recycle used computers, monitors, and other computer peripherals by simply taking the equipment at any one of 14 Staples stores located in King and Snohomish counties. A small recycling fee is charged to cover product handling and recycling costs. Staples is the only national retailer to offer this recycling service on an ongoing basis.

The announcement comes as King County is encouraging people to recycle electronics in preparation for a ban on certain electronic waste known as e-waste. As of October 1, 2005, King County residents and businesses will no longer be allowed to dispose of computers, laptops, monitors, TVs and cell phones in the garbage or at transfer stations.

A recycling fee is charged to cover labor costs for the handling, transport and product disassembly. Staples will accept used computers ($8), monitors ($12), and other computer peripherals such as printers, desktop copiers, desktop faxes, scanners and all-in-ones ($8). Staples does not accept televisions, radios or stereo equipment.

"King County is committed to helping build a local electronics recycling infrastructure that provides environmentally sound reuse and recycling opportunities for our community," said Lisa Sepanski, King County Project Manager. "Our goal is to help private organizations become collectors and recyclers of this equipment. We are thrilled to welcome Staples to the Take it Back Network. This new partnership will bring an added level of convenience for our residents and small businesses that want to recycle their computer equipment."

Staples joins a growing number of Take It Back Network members who pledge to recycle right. All Take It Back Network members ensure that discarded electronic equipment will be processed in full compliance with local, state, and federal regulations and international trade laws. They manage the hazardous materials domestically or in developed countries and pledge not to export hazardous materials to developing countries for repair, recycling or disposal.

"Staples is excited to make it easy to recycle computers and related equipment through our participation in the Take it Back Network," said Mark Buckley, Staples Vice President of Environmental Affairs. "With ongoing advancements in technology, appropriate disposal of obsolete and used electronics will be a growing issue. E-cycling is the right thing to do to help protect the environment and it makes good business sense."

Staples' joined the program in the Pacific Northwest due in part to the company's positive experiences with two limited-time recycling programs in the area last year and a pilot project in the Northeastern states, in addition to King County's successful electronics recycling effort with West Coast retailer Good Guys stores. Customer feedback from the pilot projects was extremely supportive and made the case that offering computer recycling services to customers pays off for retailers.

King County's ban on electronics disposal aims to encourage recycling of the valuable materials contained in these products and to reduce the amount of heavy metals and other hazardous materials in our environment. Residents and businesses are being asked to recycle electronic equipment at authorized recycler locations that are part of the County's Take It Back Network. Residents can find other Take it Back Network recycling locations at www.takeitbacknetwork.org.

The Take It Back Network provides a way for consumers, government and businesses to share responsibility for minimizing the environmental impact of a product throughout its life cycle, a concept known as product stewardship.

Why is electronic waste a concern?

Electronic waste from discarded electronic products contains hazardous materials such as mercury, cadmium, lead, and brominated flame retardants. Heavy metals such as lead can cause damage to living organisms at very low concentrations and tend to accumulate in the food chain. A single computer monitor contains at least 4 pounds of lead. Between 2000 and 2007, as many as 500 million computers will become obsolete and enter the municipal solid waste stream in the US – the equivalent of generating 2 billion pounds of lead waste.

This year alone, Northwest Washington residents will generate more than one million units of obsolete electronics. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), e-waste is growing two to three times faster than any other waste source such as paper or yard waste. EPA estimates that, annually, electronic devices including PCs and TVs account for 2 million tons of trash in the US.

A similar ban on disposing computers, TVs, monitors and cell phones is already in effect in Snohomish County and the City of Seattle.

About the Take It Back Network

Established in 1999, the Take It Back Network (TIBN) is a group of local electronics retailers, repair and resale vendors, recyclers, and nonprofit groups that reuse or properly recycle electronic equipment. Members must meet stringent guidelines for the recycling and handling of electronics equipment and comply with all local, state and federal regulations and international trade laws. The program is a partnership between the King County Solid Waste Division, Snohomish County Solid Waste and Seattle Public Utilities, with support from the King County Local Hazardous Waste Management Program. To learn more about TIBN or find member locations, visit www.takeitbacknetwork.org or contact Lisa Sepanski, King County Solid Waste Division, (206) 296-4489.