Recycling Electronics Has Never Been Easier
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA 
on 06.29.06
Engadget has a duo of articles heralding new responsible electronics recycling programs that are worth a look. Apple started it, and now Dell is following up their big world tour by raising the bar for the industry. Dell owners can now arrange for free-pickup of any Dell-branded product, anytime -- no purchase required. Just enter the asset tag into their website, print their pre-paid air bill, follow the instructions to pack it up, schedule the collection of your junk, and watch it ride off into the sunset. The lack of guesswork, and effort at all, will be enough to help everyone with a working internet connection recycle their old Dell, we hope. Second, California continues to bust out legislation to keep junk from going where it doesn't belong. This time, it's mandatory cellphone recycling, and it's also easy on the consumer end. Recycling will be free; you can visit the "Keep California Beautiful" website to get a postage paid box that'll send your old phone to a responsible resting place from the comfort of your own home. Dell: [CNET] via ::Engadet and "Keep California Beautiful": ::PR Newswire via ::Engadget
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I'd feel a little more comfortable about this if there hadn't been so much information about lately about the dreadful working conditions for those recycling the West's electronics. Any gaurantee that the recycling will be done in a responsible way, and not just be another case of 'out of sight, out of mind'?
I'm also curious about where the equipment is going. Dell's website does not list a recycling partner. It only asserts that they recycle "in accordance with EPA guidelines". Does anyone have any idea who's actually processing the waste?
In Australia, at least, the processing stays mostly domestic (see here).