NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In a joint press conference held yesterday by the New York City Department of Sanitation (DSNY), ERI and proactive manufacturers, it was announced that the City’s groundbreaking e-cycleNYC (www.nyc.gov/ecycle) has collected and recycled more than 10 million pounds of electronic waste from city residents.
Now serving over 2.3 million New Yorkers, the program is a public-private partnership between DSNY and ERI. Fully funded by electronics manufacturers, the program is free for NYC taxpayers and participating buildings.
Today’s event, held at Strivers Gardens in Manhattan, and announcement of the 10 million pounds of e-waste collected and recycled, marked a successful benchmark and progress report for the fast-growing program.
“We are honored to have co-created this constructive collaboration and this historic and successful partnership with the great city of New York and forward-thinking manufacturers such as Samsung, VIZIO and LG,” said John Shegerian, Chairman and CEO of ERI. “That we have now collected more than 10 million pounds of electronic waste from New York City residents for responsible, effective recycling is a huge accomplishment. Plus, the program now serves more than 2.3 million New Yorkers – more than a quarter of the New York City population. As someone who was born and raised here, it’s a humbling and rewarding experience to be able to help so many in our city do the right thing and responsibly recycle their e-waste – the fastest growing waste stream in the world today – and keep millions of pounds of toxic electronics out of New York landfills!”
Also in attendance at the press event were DSNY Commissioner Kathryn Garcia; Manhattan Borough President Gail Brewer; Strivers Gardens Condominium Board President Mychal Namphy; Housing Works CEO Andrew Greene; and Head of Environmental and Regulatory Affairs at Samsung, Mark Newton.
“We at Samsung Electronics America are proud to have played a role, alongside DSNY, ERI and our fellow manufacturers, to help the people of New York City become more environmentally responsible by offering them a convenient opportunity to safely recycle their electronics,” said Newton. “Sustainability is a fundamental component of Samsung’s business and we are committed to offering free and convenient recycling through important initiatives like e-cycleNYC and through a network of fixed collection sites, regional collection events, retail partnerships, product trade-in offerings and mail back programs. We look forward to celebrating the next ten million pounds of collected e-waste.”
“VIZIO is pleased to partner with ERI in New York City and applauds ERI and its partners in New York for their work in collecting over 10 million pounds of end-of-life consumer electronics from New York City residents,” added Caitlin Sanchez of VIZIO.
“The e-cycleNYC program represents the most innovative and comprehensive electronics recycling service offered in the nation,” said Sanitation Commissioner Kathryn Garcia. “The program is a true partnership with support from manufacturers as well as both labor and property owners. We’re proud to have set an example for the entire nation and look forward to the continued success of this important initiative.”
“We are very thankful to our partners ERI and the New York City residents, who enabled us to reach this milestone,” said Sanitation Commissioner Kathryn Garcia. “With 2.3 million residents having access to e-cycleNYC, together we have ensured 10 million pounds of potentially harmful electronics are recycled correctly.”
Since the average American household owns 28 electronic devices, and 55 percent of households in New York City have no vehicle access to unload their e-waste, there is clearly a need for such a program.
Shegerian added that he hopes this paradigm achieved in New York City will serve as an inspiration for all cities in the U.S. and around the world.
“New York City can be seen as a workable model for how such partnerships can lead to tremendous results, ultimately making the world a much better place,” he said.
With the program, New York City-area buildings with at least 10 units can receive on-site pickup of stored electronics, including TVs, monitors, computers, laptops, small servers, printers/scanners, tablets/e-readers, mobile phones, MP3 players, VCRs/DVRs/DVD players, video game consoles, cable/satellite boxes, fax machines, keyboards, mice and hard drives.
Depending on the size and type of building, a variety of service options are available, including storage bins, room clean-outs and building events. Other disposal options include household special waste drop-off sites, SAFE Disposal events, and NYC’s pilot curbside program in Staten Island. Buildings, management companies or residents that want to learn more about electronics recycling in NYC can visit www.nyc.gov/ecycle.
For more information on general recycling needs, visit www.eridirect.com, www.RecycleNation.com, http://greenisgoodradio.com or www.urbanmining.org.
ERI, the nation’s leading recycler of electronic waste and the world's largest cybersecurity-focused hardware destruction company, is certified to de-manufacture and recycle every type of electronic waste in an environmentally friendly manner. ERI processes more than 275 million pounds of electronic waste annually at eight locations, serving every zip code in the United States. For more information about e-waste recycling and ERI, call 1-800-ERI-DIRECT or visit www.eridirect.com.