WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Major manufacturers and retailers recycled more than 66.5
million pounds of used consumer electronics last year in the
U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency
's
Plug-In To eCycling
program.
In reporting the tally
yesterday, the EPA said the haul for 2008 is 30 percent greater than the amount
recycled in 2007. The EPA program, launched in 2003, now involves
more than two dozen firms
.
Several companies were
recognized for their recycling efforts in the EPA's announcement of the
program's progress. The firms singled out for mention included Dell, Staples,
Best Buy, Sony, LG, Samsung, Wal-Mart, Panasonic, Sharp and Toshiba.
The
goods recycled in the agency program last year prevented the release of
greenhouse gases equivalent to the annual emissions of an estimated 15,500 cars,
the EPA said.