# Presentation: 224876

## Electronics Recycling Pilot Projects in Retail Stores in Washington State

**Electronics Recycling ****Pilot Projects ****in Retail Stores ****in Washington State**

**King County Solid Waste Division**

## Pilot Projects  

**Good Guys**
- Collected TVs at 4 store locations for 4 weeks.
- Charged customers $10 for standard TVs, $20 for console TVs.
**Office Depot**
- Collected computer equipment and small TVs at 870 stores in the continental U.S. for 6 weeks for free.

## Pilot Project Goals 

**Tested:**
- Logistical feasibility of electronics collection in retail stores
- Financial sustainability of a retail collection program
- Customer satisfaction
- Benefits to retailers

## Findings 

**Voluntary take-back in electronics retail stores is logistically feasible.**
- Good Guys took back 4,042 TVs (197,000 lbs) at 4 retail locations over 4 weeks.
- Office Depot took back 325,126 computers, peripherals and small TVs (4,900 tons) at 870 retail stores over 6 weeks.

## Findings

**Control the volume of equipment coming in to the stores.**** **
- Charge customers an end-of-life fee – no free recycling.
- Provide the recycling service on an ongoing basis, not as a special offer or event.
- Offer a one-for-one take-back as a option.
- Limit advertising.

## Findings

**Voluntary retail take-back programs can be  financed by charging a recycling fee.**
- Based on the costs of the Good Guys  pilot project, an ongoing collection program could be paid for by charging customers a fee of $20 for standard TVs and $30 for console TVs.

## Findings

**Based on the experience from King and Snohomish County, Wa Take it Back Networks:**
- Ongoing collection program can be paid for by charging customers a fee of approximately $15 for monitors and $10 for computers and peripherals.

## Findings

**Customers ****were overwhelmingly satisfied with the service.**
- Good Guys customers reported the service was convenient and would use it again if offered (99%).
- Office Depot customers reported the project was easy to use (99%), and they would be likely to use this service again if offered (100%).

## Findings

**Retailers can benefit from offering an ongoing program as part of their services.**
- Significant media exposure – company cares about the environment
- New customers  - 43% of participants were new to Good Guys
- Increased awareness – 4% increase in awareness of Good Guys in the Seattle market

## Paid Advertising

## Earned Media

**Earned Media**

## Findings

**Partnerships with local governments provide additional publicity **
- Take it Back network/Staples partnership commercial
- _[http://www.metrokc.gov/dnrp/swd/electronics/multimedia/TIBN_TV.wmv](http://www.metrokc.gov/dnrp/swd/electronics/multimedia/TIBN_TV.wmv)_
- (requires Windows Media Player)

## Recommendations 

**Recommendations **

- Ongoing voluntary electronics collection programs at retail stores where customers are charged end-of-life fees to cover the costs of collection, transportation and recycling can provide viable, sustainable collection options.

## More Info

**More Info**

- Good Guys Report is available at _[www.productstewardship.net](http://www.productstewardship.net/)_
- The following slide provide more detail.
- Lisa Sepanski
- King County Solid Waste Division
- 206 296-4489
- Lisa.Sepanski@metrokc.gov

## Good Guys Television Recycling Pilot Project – Project Details

**Good Guys ****Television Recycling ****Pilot Project – *****Project Details***

## Background

- Funding
- EPA grant
- Northwest Product Stewardship Council Governments
- Electronics retailers, manufacturers
- Residents
- Pilot Project Goals
- Design and Planning
- Implementation
- Results
- Lessons Learned

## Good Guys Project Planning

- Recyclers selected
- Philips Services Corp. and Total Reclaim, Inc.
- Manufacturer participation
- $5,000 each toward recycling
- JVC, Philips, Pioneer, Samsung, Sharp and Sony
- Recycling fee
- $10 for standard TVs, $25 for consoles

## Good Guys Project Planning

- Staff Training
- Safe handling, storage and packaging of the TVs.
- Customer surveys
- Tracking satisfaction, purchases, reasons for recycling, frequency of visits to Good Guys.
- Discount coupon
- 10% off new TV from participating manufacturers.

## Project Implementation

- Customers brought TVs into stores
- paid fee and filled out survey.
- Lynnwood and Tukwila stores used trailers to store TVs at the loading docks.

-   Ran from July 8 to August 7, 2004 (4 weeks).

## Project Implementation

- Puyallup and Bellevue stores stacked TVs in the back storage area.
- Pickups twice weekly or as needed.

-   All TVs marked with a pink sticker to keep them separate from other inventory.

## Advertising and Media 

- Good Guys ran full page ads and preprinted inserts in 4 local papers.
- A front cover notice in their July catalog.
- Web site
- Government Partners issued Press Releases
- Held event at Bellevue store
- Flyers, handouts, etc.

## Project Results

- Collected 4,042 televisions

## Project Results

- Recycled materials totaled 166,000 pounds:
- 26,000 pounds of plastics
- 7,000 pounds of copper wire
- 11,000 pounds of circuit boards
- 15,000 pounds of other metals
- 107,000 pounds of CRT glass (10,000 pounds of lead from the CRT glass)
- 2 - 5% of the coupons were redeemed.

## Customer Survey Results

- 1,043 surveys returned:
- 99% reported the service was convenient
- 96% reported price was reasonable
- 99% would use the service again if offered
- 43% had never been to a Good Guys store before
- In a separate study conducted by Good Guys, awareness of Good Guys increased in the Seattle market by 4%.

## Costs

| Activity | Cost | % |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Planning and Setup | $66,748  | 30 |
| Collection | $4,239  | 2 |
| Transportation | $15,920  | 7 |
| Recycling | $33,299  | 15 |
| Paid Advertising | $74,247  | 33 |
| Evaluation | $28,515  | 13 |
| Total | $222,968  | 100% |

## Financing

| Funding Source | Amount |
| --- | --- |
| EPA Grant | $41,000  |
| NWPSC government partners  | $38,088  |
| Manufacturers (JVC, Philips, Pioneer, Samsung, Sharp and Sony)  | $30,000  |
| Recycling Fees  | $49,090  |
| Good Guys | $64,790 |
| Total | $222,968  |

## Office Depot Computer  Recycling Pilot Project – Project Details

**Office Depot ****Computer  Recycling Pilot Project – *****Project Details***

## Background 

- Ran July 18 - September 6, 2004
- 870 stores in the continental U.S.
- Accepted computers, monitors, peripherals, digital cameras, cell phones and small televisions (those with <27 inch screens) for free from residents.

## Project Implementation 

- Customers brought equipment to stores, set in carts
-  stored in the back of the store.
- Reverse logistics
- OD delivery trucks picked up equipment from the stores.
- Equipment was consolidated at 10 Office Depot  “cross docks”.

## Project Implementation

- Hewlett-Packard was selected as the  recycler.
- Facilities in Roseville, CA and Nashville, TN
- HP trucks picked up equipment at OD cross docks and transported it to processing facilities.
- HP paid to transport the equipment from the OD cross docks to the processing facilities and to recycle it.

## Pieces by Product Type

| Product | Pieces | % |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monitor | 113,375 | 35 |
| PC | 76,731 | 24 |
| Other (pdas, cameras, copiers) | 48,036 | 15 |
| Printers | 46,086 | 14 |
| TVs (< 21inches) | 24,798 | 8 |
| All-in-ones | 5,656 | 2 |
| Scanners | 5,579 | 2 |
| Cell Phones | 4,865 | 1 |
| Total | 325,126 | 100 |

## Pieces by Weight

| Product | LBs | % |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monitor | 3,401,250 | 34 |
| PC | 2,301,930 | 23 |
| Other (pdas, cameras, copiers) | 1,441,080 | 15 |
| TVs  | 1,239,900 | 13 |
| Printers | 968,615 | 10 |
| All-in-ones | 395,920 | 4 |
| Scanners | 111,580 | .01 |
| Cell Phones | 4,865 | .0004 |
| Total | 9,865,140 | 100 |

## More Info

**More Info**

- Good Guys Report is available at _[www.productstewardship.net](http://www.productstewardship.net/)_
- Lisa Sepanski
- King County Solid Waste Division
- 206 296-4489
- Lisa.Sepanski@metrokc.gov