Staples Launches Nationwide E-Scrap Recycling Program

Staples, Inc. announced that it is becoming the first national retailer to offer computer recycling in stores every day.

Customers can bring in their obsolete electronic scrap to any Staples store. All the equipment will be recycled in accordance with environmental laws. All brands will be accepted, regardless of whether or not the equipment was purchased at Staples, for a fee of $10 per large item.

Staples is working with Amandi Services, one of the country's most experienced and innovative electronics recyclers, to handle recycling of the equipment, following standards set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The company said there is no limit on the quantity of equipment that can be recycled. The fee will be used to cover handling, transport, product disassembly and recycling. Smaller computer peripherals, such as keyboards and mice, will be recycled for free.

Staples Easy Tech service is on site in all stores to transfer data from an old computer to a new one for a fee.

Equipment is bagged and sealed when customers drop them off at the Staples customer service desk. The equipment is picked up and delivered to Amandi Services, which disassembles the equipment into its component parts and destroys any data on the system.

Amandi recycles the raw materials. The CRTs, which are the most hazardous part of electronics waste, are recycled using Amandi's proprietary technology into a raw material that is used to manufacture new televisions.