EPA report shows drop in consumer electronics waste

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The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a report on June 19 that recognizes the decline in consumer electronics (EPA) in municipal solid waste, showing a drop of 4 percent from 2012 to 2013, which is the fastest decline of any product category.

“This report marks a true milestone moment for the CE industry’s impact on the environment,” said Gary Shapiro, president and CEO, Consumer Electronics Association (CEA). “We’ve gone from the fastest-growing portion of the municipal waste stream to the fastest-declining—a remarkable turnaround. Also, thanks to our industry’s dedicated focus on recycling, consumers now have unprecedented awareness and access to recycling resources.

Titled “Advancing Sustainable Materials Management Facts and Figures,” the report also showed that recycling of CE hit 40.4 percent in 2013, which was a 10 percent increase from 2012’s levels. Efforts on CE recycling can positively impact the environment by eliminating the need for excess resource mining for materials like gold, copper and palladium.

“We are working to make recycling your old devices as easy as buying new ones,” said Shapiro. “And those efforts drive the results shown in the new EPA report.”