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ODATE, JP -- Many small pieces can add up to a big whole, and one small city in the north of Japan is finding there's money in the process as well. Odate, a city of about 80,000 people in Akita Prefecture, on the northern end of Honshu, the big island of Japan, has begun diverting small electronics from landfills and using the town's mining history to salvage precious metals from the waste. By putting collection bins outside supermarkets and community centers, the city gathering about 17 tons of e-waste in 11 months, from April 2007 to February 2008, according to a report from Harufumi Mori in Japan's Asahi Shimbun newspaper. The gadgets collected range from broken appliances to hair dryers to cell phones -- all too small to fall under the scope of recycling laws in Japan. Although they're small, they're far from worthless, the city is finding. After looking through just over one-third of the waste, Mori reports that the city might find as much as half a kilogram of tantalum, one kilogram of gold, and as much as 4 kilograms of silver and palladium. All from less than one year of collections in one city among a gadget-crazy country with over 127 million residents. As a former mining town, Odate is well equipped to harvest precious metals from e-waste.

Wal-Mart joins statewide campaign to help consumers recycle e-waste free-of-charge KIRKLAND, Wash., Jan. 8 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Lucky recipients of a new TV, laptop or monitor for Christmas will have a new way to recycle their old equipment starting next week in Washington State. Effective January 1st of 2009, residents will be able to recycle computers, monitors, laptops and TVs through the new E-Cycle Washington program free of charge. The permanent program is funded by electronic manufacturers and there is no time limit for bringing in unwanted electronics for recycling.

Millions of laptops, computers, and mobile phones are discarded in UAE each year. The most active involvement regarding proper e-waste disposal in the middle east region is found in UAE. Currently, the country is working on developing e-waste regulations and legislation for sound e-waste management. Find out more in this article.

UAE emerges among top 3 countries in the world with the highest number of digitally connected consumers. Having said that, the increase in usage of electronic devices has resulted in a drastic rise in e-waste generation. To address this growing concern, UAE has started doing its bit to manage it more effectively. To know more, have a look at the latest smart trends going on in UAE for e-waste recycling. Also, check out how Veracity World - The Green Industry For E-waste Recycling is contributing towards the betterment of the environment, health and overall well being of citizens in UAE.