A new company called eRecyclingCorps has just been launched in the US to agressively attack the problem of e-waste by focusing on helping carriers buy back used handsets from consumers and ensure they are resold or responsibly recycled.
eRecyclingCorps has found that of the 4 billion wireless subscribers in the world, only 1 percent of them recycle their handsets. In the US alone, 130 million phones are retired each year.
They have found that of the 275 million U.S. mobile phone users, only 10 percent recycling their old mobile phone. According to research, 98 percent of consumers will recycle if they are given incentives.
The Environmental Protection Agency found that in the US 130 million cellular phones go out of use annually, creating an estimated 65,000 tons of electronic waste.
eRecylingCorps is working with carriers to establish comprehensive buy-back programs that are customised and scalable. It has created a Web-based platform that integrates directly into the point of sale system at carrier retail stores, where 60 percent of all US phones are sold.
They have three missions – Rewarding (through trade-in), Reusing (predictable volumes of quality devices), Recycling (Reducing e-waste through reuse and recycling). Their website states: “Our approach is simple: recognize the value of these devices, offer incentives in exchange/trade, and establish a global after-market to support the reuse of wireless phones. eRecyclingCorps is pioneering the establishment of large-scale wireless phone buy-back programs in a way that is highly scalable yet also recognizes the unique needs of companies and their customers.”