On Tuesday, Best Buy announced its plans to test drive a new electronics recycling program at 117 of the company's stores throughout America. The company already has an e-waste management program in place at all of its existing retail outlets, but the current program largely caters to small devices, such as cell phones, batteries, or ink jet cartridges. Television or appliance recycling, while still available, is tied to the purchase and delivery of a new unit.
Under the new program, consumers will be able to recycle up to two electronic devices per household, per day, at one of the 117 participating stores. Eligible items include televisions and monitors (32" or smaller), computers, phones, cameras, and a miscellaneous "other electronics devices and peripherals" category. The new program is broader, but still retains certain limitations. Console televisions, Air conditioners, TV's greater than 32", large appliances, microwaves, llamas over five feet in height, and washed-up presidential candidates are all off limits, though Best Buy does note that customers are welcome to contact the store and arrange for appliance removal. Participating stores are located in Minnesota, Iowa, North and South Dakota, Wisconsin, Washington DC, Virginia, Maryland, and California; readers interested in exact store locations can find that information here.
Best Buy's decision to test-drive an expanded e-waste disposal initiative reflects the fact that such programs are slowly becoming more popular with device manufacturers in general. HP, Apple, Intel, Dell, Sony, and Gateway all offer product recycling services, though the terms and conditions vary from vendor to vendor.
Dell, for example, offers free recycling on any old Dell system, or on any non-Dell system with purchase of a new Dell PC. Dell will still accept and recycle PCs made by other vendors, but charges a $10 per-box (component) fee. HP, on the other hand, doesn't distinguish between HP-branded and non-branded products, but instead charges a $13-$34 fee across the board depending on the product's size and weight. If you're planning to switch, Apple will accept and recycle any old PC for free with purchase of a Mac. Those wishing to recycle a PC without buying an Apple product are free to do so, provided they pony up a $30 shipping fee. There are also services available such as Second Rotation, which will give you a small amount of cash for select unwanted gadgets and will recycle for free anything it can't resll.
Best Buy's new recycling program doesn't just reflect the e-waste disposal policies of individual manufacturers; it puts the company in a class of its own. While its competitors have occasionally held recycling days as a means of helping consumers rid themselves of unwanting electronics, neither Wal-Mart nor Circuit City have an equivalent to the broad program Best Buy is now testing. That will undoubtedly change in short order if in-store recycling proves popular, but for now, Best Buy has the market and the potential customers all to itself.
