EnviroSmart And SAM'S CLUB Launch Pilot Recycling Program
Starting in October, customers will be able to drop off their used inkjet and laser toner cartridges, as well as their old cell phones and batteries, at convenient kiosks inside select SAM'S CLUB locations. For those who forgot to bring in their materials, the kiosks will offer postage-paid envelopes, so customers can mail in their empty inkjet cartridges from home for free. Eleven SAM'S CLUB locations in Alabama, Arkansas, California and Missouri are participating in the program. Similar programs are already in place at participating stores in Michigan and the Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston metropolitan areas.
The used cell phones and batteries collected by EnviroSmart will be sent to ReCellular, a leading manufacturer and refurbisher of cell phones, PDA's and other handheld technology.
EnviroSmart also recycles the printer cartridges, which keeps them from ending up in landfills. "Every year, hundreds of millions of empty printer cartridges are tossed in the trash when they could easily be recycled, remanufactured and reused," said EnviroSmart President George Skivington. "Customers can now recycle their empty cartridges when they shop for office supplies at SAM'S CLUB. It's a simple, convenient solution that's easy for consumers and helps protect the environment."
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1.5 pints of crude oil is needed to make one inkjet cartridge. If they're not recycled, used cartridges stay around in landfills for a long time. In fact, it is estimated that it takes 1,000 years for an inkjet cartridge to break down in a landfill.
SOURCE: EnviroMedia