Office Depot, HP Offer Free PC Recycling

One of the great things about technology is how quickly it advances. Out with the old and in with the new. Thats also one of the bad things. What do you do with all that old, outdated technology? High-tech recycling programs exist, but are not always convenient to use, as you sometimes have to ship the product to them. Now a new, free, nationwide, in-store electronics recycling program from Office Depot Inc. and Hewlett-Packard Co. seeks to marry the environmental consciousness of recycling with the easy access of shopping. From July 18 through Labor Day weekend, customers can drop off old technology equipment at any Office Depot store.

With over 850 retail locations in the continental United States, Office Depot is combining its presence with HPs electronics-recycling expertise. HP will use its two U.S. recycling facilities to process all incoming equipment. The program will accept hardware from any manufacturer, including PCs, mice, keyboards, PDAs, monitors, flat-panel displays, laser and ink jet printers, scanners, all-in-one printers, digital cameras, fax machines, cell phones, TVs (27" and smaller only), and TV/VCR combos.

Electronics recycling is not a new concept. Several PC companies have created recycling programs. Many, including HP and IBM, charge a fee. Dell allows the consumer to recycle old Dell hardware for a small fee, auction it off, or donate it to the National Christina Foundation, which helps disabled and poor children and adults.

HP and Office Depot predict that their program will be a successful promotion of environmental responsibility. "This unique program with an important partner in the retail channel allows us to bring our recycling capabilities directly to consumers in a remarkably easy-to-use way," says Lee Ray Massey, senior vice president of HPs Imaging and Printing Group—Americas.

There are, however, a few precautions necessary to avoid spreading viruses or passing on private files. Although HP disassembles old products for use in new ones, a safety-conscious consumer will make sure to clean everything off his or her hard drive before recycling an old computer.

Full details on the recycling program are available at http://www.officedepot.com/recycle

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