Electronics Firms Jointly Addressing Recycling Issue

Nxtcycle, an Arizona-based electronics equipment recycler, and three manufacturers, Panasonic, Sharp and Sony are announcing an ambitious first step in recycling consumer electronics products. 

Recycling televisions, computer monitors and other products can be complicated, prompting California and other states to consider legislation that would mandate certain aspects of electronics products recycling.

Nxtcycle, Panasonic, Sharp and Sony are launching a different model for electronic products recycling based on the notion of shared responsibility between manufacturers, consumers and municipalities. 

The plan, now being launched in cities and counties all over California is a practical, cost-effective and environmentally friendly way to recycle discarded electronics products.

The program will begin in four states: Utah, Washington, California and New Jersey. David Cauchi, Nxtcycle spokesman, said the plan is expected to grow to become more national in approach. Nxtcycle, a one-year old company, is closing to opening up processing facilities in a number of other locations throughout the United States. At the present time the company has a processing facility in Utah and Mexicali, Mexico.

Within the next six months the company hopes to have facilities in place in West Virginia, Texas, South Carolina and either Pennsylvania or New Jersey. When the new facilities are opened and operating the company expects to expand its collection and processing operations.

While Nxtcycle has created a program with the three electronics manufacturers, the company also expects to sign up a number of other manufacturers within the next several months, including JVC and Thompsons.

However, computer manufacturers are not expected to be part of the program, according to Cauchi. Most of these manufacturers already have established or looking at creating their own collection program.

According to the pilot program that Nxtcycle is presently operating, the manufacturers partly subsidize the processing of the material at Nxtcycle’s facilities. The subsidy is then rebated back to the community. The company also has been able to process and resell all the material domestically, preventing the operation from running into many of the problems that exporters of electronics materials have faced.