Plug-In To eCycling

Plug-In To eCycling is a consumer electronics campaign working to increase the number of electronic devices collected and safely recycled in the United States. Launched in January 2003, Plug-In To eCycling is one component of EPA's Resource Conservation Challenge (RCC), a national effort to find flexible, yet more protective ways to conserve our valuable resources. It is also part of EPA's Product Stewardship Program.

Plug-In To eCycling focuses on three major areas:
-Providing the public with information about electronics recycling and increasing opportunities to safely recycle old electronics.
-Facilitating partnerships with communities, electronics manufacturers, and retailers to promote shared responsibility for safe electronics recycling.
-Establishing pilot projects to test innovative approaches to safe electronics recycling.

The goal of Plug-In To eCycling is to increase the number of electronic devices collected and safely recycled in the United States.

Sample achievements include:
-By sponsoring 20 events, Best Buy collected over 1,060,000 pounds, representing a 30-percent increase in the amount of consumer electronics collected in previous years.
-Cingular collected over 220,000 pounds of mobile phones, batteries, and accessories for reuse, resale, and recycling through its collection programs.
-Dell recycled 298,000 pounds of electronic products at U.S. collection events. Dell also worked with EPA to sponsor a free electronics collection event in New Orleans on December 3, 2005 to increase collection and safe recycling of computers and other electronic equipment in areas affected by Hurricane Katrina.