Office Depot Launches Nationwide, In-Store Tech Recycling Program

October 16, 2007

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Office Depot has launched a new “Tech Recycling Service” available at all of its 1,100-plus retail store locations in North America. The program, which was piloted in 2006 in approximately 100 stores in the U.S., has resulted in the recycling of more than 108,000 pounds of technology.

In order to recycle products, customers must buy a Tech Recycling Box at an Office Depot store. (Boxes are priced at $5, $10, and $15, and include shipping and handling.) Customers then drop the box back off with the equipment inside.

“Office Depot’s environmental vision is to increasingly buy green, be green and sell green,” said Yalmaz Siddiqui, Environmental Strategy Advisor for Office Depot. “Through our Tech Recycling Service, we hope to offer our customers another solution for reducing their environmental impact.”

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Reader Comments

So, where do these things that have been dropped off to be recycled go? How and where is it processed or recycled? What happens to it all?

Sheila | October 16th, 2007

To China is my guess. At the prices listed, the company can compete with anyone, so they could become a dumping ground for small business waste.

Jim Sullivan | October 16th, 2007

After the customer returns their box filled with e-waste and an Office Depot associate looks through the box to ensure that all items are eligible, Office Depot sends the Tech Recycling Box to Intechra, the Company’s tech recycling vendor. Intechra is one of the largest tech recyclers in the U.S. with its headquarters in Jackson, MS. Through their service, the old technology is crushed, compacted and ultimately turned into raw materials, such as glass, plastic, copper and aluminum.

Melissa Perlman, Office Depot | October 17th, 2007

“old technology is crushed, compacted and ultimately turned into raw materials, such as glass, plastic, copper and aluminum” So it all gets crushed? Sounds like Office Depot doesn’t support computer reuse.

Charles | October 17th, 2007

To clear up a question about dumping, our company (Cascade), Intechra, and other companies in this industry had signed a Electronics Recycler’s Pledge of True Stewardship to prevent dumping e-waste in developing countries. Hats off to Office Depot. They have done their homework. In regard to another question about “computer reuse”, it depends on the age and the condition of the equipment. The last thing is for someone to buy these computers and turn around sell in developing countries where they don’t have the infrastructure to deal with toxic waste and e-waste. Most of the time, computers with less than 4 years old will very likely be recirculated in the secondary market.

Thanh Nguyen, Cascade Asset Management | October 21st, 2007