The Refinishing Touch Launches TV Recycling Program to Combat Growing Problem of Electronic Waste

ALPHARETTA, Ga.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Refinishing Touch, a world renowned specialist in environmentally safe and sustainable on-site furniture refinishing, upholstery and armoire modifications, has launched a government-approved television recycling program that will reduce the amount of electronic waste created by its customer organizations during furniture remodeling projects.

The Refinishing Touch has experience gained from working with some of the largest organizations in the country, from hotel chains such as Hilton, Hyatt, IHG, Marriott, Wyndham and Starwood to government organizations such as The White House, US Congress, Department of Defense, US Military, and the US Coastguard.

In recent years, several hotel chains have commissioned The Refinishing Touch for large-scale modification of armoires in order to accommodate modern flat screen televisions, the inspiration for this new initiative.

The Refinishing Touch's new program will recycle older television sets that are replaced during such renovation projects. A 2007 study by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) found that over three million tons of electronic waste are generated in the US each year¹, with 86.4% ending up in landfills and only 13.6% being recycled. TVs and computers are especially difficult to recycle, because they contain toxic materials such as brominated flame retardants. Across the United States, electronic waste is a serious and growing problem.

To help combat this problem, The Refinishing Touch will ensure that TVs are recycled in compliance with Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and EPA industry standards as well as all applicable local, state and federal laws and regulations. In keeping with its environmentally friendly refinishing practices, it has also applied for a no-landfill certification as a further guarantee that customers’ TVs won't end up in the trash.

The new program is already underway at two locations in Virginia for a global hotel chain with hotels in Alexandria, VA and Williamsburg, VA. Combined, the two locations require the modification of over 330 armoires. The Refinishing Touch has removed and recycled all of the existing TVs that were being replaced by flatscreen televisions.

Mario Insenga, CEO of The Refinishing Touch, said, “The Refinishing Touch is committed to help organizations decrease their carbon footprints and utilize environmentally sound practices. We noticed that clients were often throwing their old TVs into the trash just because of the hassle involved with recycling them. But we wanted to add more value and it was a natural extension to start a program to recycle our clients’ old TVs as an integral part of our refinishing program so they no longer have to worry about disposing of them. Many states have laws preventing electronic waste from being sent to landfills, so our program helps clients to comply with local legislation as well as observe environmental good practice.”

About The Refinishing Touch

Founded in 1977, The Refinishing Touch® is a world leader in providing on-site environmentally safe and sustainable furniture refinishing, upholstery and armoire modifications to private and public organizations. It enables its 20,000 customers across the following markets: government, hotel, hospitality and academia to save up to 80% of their budgets and maintain environmental sustainability.

To date the company has transformed over 1.5 million rooms of furniture worldwide, preventing the equivalent of approximately two million hardwood trees being lost to landfill. Services comprise furniture refinishing, reupholstering, armoire modification and re engineering, granite and fabric selection through the Touch Textiles division. The company has patent pending clean material processes that are odorless, non-toxic, non-flammable and environmentally safe to enable immediate room re-occupancy.

The Refinishing Touch was awarded the US General Services Administration Evergreen Award for innovative environmentally friendly practices. Long term clients include: The White House, The Kennedy Center for Performing Arts, US Department of Justice, US Congress, Department of Defense, US Military and Coastguards, Hyatt, Marriott, Wyndham, Hilton, IHG and Starwood, plus a number of top universities. The company is headquartered in Alpharetta, Georgia.

www.therefinishingtouch.com

¹ US EPA, Municipal Solid Waste in the United States, 2007 Facts and Figures, November 2008. http://www.epa.gov/osw/nonhaz/municipal/pubs/msw07-rpt.pdf